The Misguided Fool:
by amberwolves
Summary: Li Syaoran and his infamous brash temper is put to the test when Sakura Kinomoto, the new technician with a cool and fierce personality arrives, driving him to the edge of his sanity. Is Sakura..."unintentionally" seducing Syaoran?
1. prologue

**Title: **The Misguided Fool

**Long term Summary:** Li Syaoran, the head of security for the Troy exhibit, Eriol, the owner of the museum, with his wife Tomoyo, the young director of the "Troy" exhibit. They expect too many people bent on thievery for the precious Emerald statue, the main piece of the exhibit. And troubles starts when the first security technician sent by Haste Security nearly blows up the entire system, and the new technician arrives. Li Syaoran and his infamous brash temper is put to the test when Sakura Kinomoto, the new technician with a cool and fierce personality arrives, driving him to the edge of his sanity.

**Chapter**: Prologue

* * *

_**:Prologue:**_

My cute little descendant, I'm put you in charge of this year's greatest exhibit, the 'Troy.' We—that is the board, Tomoyo and I concluded that more than one thief is interested in this exhibit. And we couldn't recommend a expert for the job than you."

Syaoran stared long and hard at Eriol. Maybe because of the mischievous glint in his eyes or the slight devious look to his smiling fascade Eriol usually held when something was up or because of the false praises he had thrown to gain his approval.

_He's up to something. As cliche as it might be, the last time he put me in charge of one of his exhibits, I ended up on a blind date with the Director._

Either Syaoran's mistrust was showing more plainly than he's thought or Eriol was developing a unique talent for reading his expressions; which ever the case, he didn't like it, Eriol added, "Rest assure, there is no female worker involved within this exhibit, Syaoran."

Tomoyo sitting beside him jabbed his right side, glaring down offensively.

"Oww!" Eriol winced.

He turned his attention to the fiancée at his right. Noticing her offended look, he quickly corrected himself. "Sorry. My _lovely_ Tomoyo shall be acting the roll as the director of this exhibit. Other from her and possibly Margaret—who you feel is quite mature enough to be your great grandmother—there is nobody else."

_Something doesn't feel right._

"Oh, and did I mention the additional pay?"

Without a second thought Syaoran (making the gravest mistake in his life) threw away all logic and instincts aside. "What the hell, I'll take it."

x x x x x x x

Three days later, Syaoran found himself as head of security over the Troy exhibit; along with three of the most uneasy restless nights.

Apparently, Eriol had never assumed that the opening date would push him to his limit and set an impossible task upon the sole technician as well.

"Hey you," Syaoran snapped at the technician, "I don't have to be an Einstein to know that sparks coming out of the system is bad." Syaoran saw the skinny young man with his enormous size glasses shrink further into the desk.

"I-I," Syaoran interrupted, and bellowed "What the hell did you do to the multi-million dollars head security?"

The poor guy shrank further down as Syaoran continued. "Why the fuck is this thing sparking off? And the fuck is the screen going crossed?"

The only thing the poor guy could think of at this situation was to run as fast as he could.

And he did.

"Shit!" Syaoran ran after the surprisingly fast coward.

"Get your ass back here!" Syaoran yelled as he saw there was no way in hell he was going to catch him.

x x x x x x x

Tomoyo, in Syaoran's office this time leaned back on his visitor's chair and swore for the fifth time. "Well at least I know how badly Michael screwed-up."

"Blowing the hard drive," Syaoran agreed, "is definitely what I call 'screwed-up'. It might've taken his supervisors a few days to admit the thing was a total loss, but at least he finally did."

"Well maybe it's a good thing," Tomoyo said. "As uneasy as we've both felt, maybe starting over with an entirely new security system is the way to go!" Tomoyo stared at Syaoran uncertain. "I'm sure at this rate, Eriol will reconsider the opening date. We are doing that, right?"

He nodded "Starting from scratch—yes; the drivers will be replaced, and all the basic programming installed again. Which won't be cheap, but Kevin _insisted_ on footing the bill."

Tomoyo snorted sarcastically, "Yeah, Tom told me he over heard you _talking_ to Kevin this morning—or roaring at them rather. According to Kevin, you used words that were completely original."

"I was upset," the security expert said mildly. "I wanted them to know I was upset."

"Which they undoubtedly do," Tomoyo murmured. "Along with Tom, all the guards, and the first dozen museum visitors here this morning."

"Then everyone understands my position." Syaoran retorted.

"I'll say. Tom was bloody scared for his life when he passed your office. He even thought you'd pick-up the chair and throw it to the wall." Tomoyo grinned. "But the point is—are we staying with Haste Security?"

Syaoran shrugged. "They're supposed to be the best, in spite of their very red faces at the moment. And their CEO called me about an hour ago swearing on all he hold dear that there won't be another screw-up." Syaoran's voice darkened, "But that stupid kid wants to sue me for physical abuse—and his hospital bills."

x x x x x x x

The phone began to ring and Eriol picked it up... "What? He ran away? Why would one of your technician run away from— oh." Eriol looked at the clock. "That bad huh?"

There was loud noise of rushing foot steps that was coming Eriol's way. "Syaoran did it again? What did he— ouch. Ok, can you just send me—they can't all be scared of the guy—Ok... I'll hold."

Eriol shifted his gaze patiently to the clock as the automatic hold background song came into hearing. Not after a long wait another voice introduced himself to Eriol. "This is the CEO of Haste Security, with sincere apology for our staff's…_reluctance_ into aiding our service to your next exhibition, Mr. Hiiragizzwa. But we have found a rather suitable employee in our staff who is perfect for your position."

Eriol heaved a sigh of relief. "Ok. That is fine. We can wait for his appearance until the next wee—a GIRL?"

Accidentally, he dropped the receiver onto the ground before a very interesting and musing thought came into mind. "Can you send me her dossier faxed to me by tonight?"

The other caller seeming to have had a mutual understanding to Eriol's inner intentions, laughted cheerfully.

For the next few minutes, they discussed the plans together. The possibilities of success and so forth before the heated discussion was interrupted as Syaoran barged into the room, his face in a mask of fury.

His eyes were burning and his face was red.

"The damn technician nearly blew up the main security system, and had the guts to RUN!" Syaoran paced around the room, cursing harshly. Eriol went back to his conversation on the phone as Syaoran continued to bicker.

"Yes, he's in the same room—oh, no, don't tell him. It'd be quite amusing that way. No, I'd like to let things happen on its own. Yes, I'll call you back, Yu. Make sure the new technician arrives first thing. Goodbye." Click.

"New technician?"

Eriol nodded. "And this one won't run away from you. The top technician in Haste Security to replace the one who _unintentionally_," Eriol said emphasizing the word, "sabotaged the display's security system."

x x x x x x x

When Syaoran stalked into the Exhibit's computer room in the middle of the following Saturday afternoon. The talk between him and Eriol was not surprisingly uneventful and left Li in an even fouler mood than ever. Instead of having to extending their previous opening date of the exhibit by a month to fit the new security system, Eriol insisted that then new installer was highly reccommend by the company.

The date was staying the same.

And the next morning Eriol was gone.

He left Tomoyo in charge of the exhibit affairs due to an emergency business meeting—something between Haste and his market in London.

One look of his face should have warned anyone that he was not in a good mood.

Unfortunately, the computer technician who was kneeling half under the main desk couldn't see his face.

So his brusque voice and somewhat imperious summons caused her to bump her head—hard—against the underside of the desk.

"Hey—you," he growled, snapping his fingers as he looked around somewhat cramped room that was filled with various machines, monitors, and control panels.

He heard a thud, and it effectively drew his attention to the desk. Then he saw the top of a rather wild auburn head being rubbed by one small hand, and a pair of fierce green eyes glaring at him.

In a voice that was every bit as intense as her eyes and held a strongly evoked irritation, she said, "To catch a taxi, you snap your fingers. To call a forgiving dog, you snap your fingers. But if you want a printable response from _me_, you use my name."

"I don't know your name," he retorted.

She let out a little sigh that sounded aggravated and climbed to her feet, still rubbing her head. Her expression remained somewhat annoyed, though her voice was milder. "That's true, but hardly an excuse. You might have at least said 'Hey, lady,' or even "Excuse me, miss."

"I didn't know you were a—girl," Syaoran said. He realized he was being stared at and decided he'd better clarify that statement.

"I mean, I wasn't aware that Eriol would be sending me a female technician. And I couldn't see you when I came into the room. "

"Next time," she said briskly, "knock."

For a little thing, she had an attitude, he thought.

He towered over her by half a foot, but she was obviously not in the least intimidated. In fact, there was something slightly mocking in her expression. Syaoran wasn't used to being treated mockery, especially by a woman.

"What's your name?" he demanded.

"Sakura Kinomoto."

He didn't respond immediately to this information, even thought he asked for it. He wasn't often caught off guard by a person or a situation, but this one was of a rare occasion.

When Eriol promised him the very best technician to replace the one who had unintentionally sabotaged the display's security system more than a month ago, Syaoran expected another cheery and anxious young man whose language was so technical that it barely resembled English and who probably had no other interest in anything but his computers.

What Syaoran had definitely _not_ expected was a pit-sized brunet somewhere in her early twenties with very long and definitely wild auburn hair, big eyes so haughty, fierce, and green any cat would envy, and a small and alive face that he had to admit, gorgeous, that certainly wouldn't be easily be forgotten.

Syaoran certainly had a thing for blonds, and he liked them thin, leggy, and tall. This girl hardly fit the mold, in more ways than one.

In fact judging by what he's seen of her temperament her hair should have been red.

He was almost certain it was meant to be red.

He eyed her, not entirely pleased because she certainly didn't look like his mental image of a geeky computer technician. She returned his stare, placing her hand on her hip then looked him up and down slowly and thoroughly—missing nothing along the way—with a total lack of self-conscious.

"I understand it's very impolite to ask a question, get an answer and leave a girl hanging. I also know for a fact, it's very rude to stare, at least at the way you're staring."

He was definitely annoyed by her attitude. "Look, incase nobody told you—you _work _for me."

Without hesitation and in a very matter-of-fact way, she responded, "My job here is to complete the installation of a very expensive computerized security system for this word renowned display of these jewels and Emerald statue." She indicated, pointing at the miniature display of the grand scatter ruby and jade encrusted statue.

She pointed out in a banal tone, "I work for Haste Security, because they're my employers, then second, Eriol H. because he hired us to do the job, thirdly, Tomoyo, because she's the director of the exhibit. And you forth—," she glanced at his name tag he wore on his left side of the jacket, "Syaoran, because you're the head of security. And since the Eriol is away—I believe on his honeymoon with Tomoyo—I answer directly to you on any answers concerning security."

"And I don't need any of you to hovering over me, incase nobody told _you_—I'm very good at what I do."

"That remains to be seen," Syaoran said. He felt very irritated of her. And couldn't take his eyes off her vivid expression, it was disconcerting combination of reaction.

* * *

**AN:** With every additional reviews, I'm was more reminded and inspired to write on, so thanks to all of the reviews so far, Chapter One is done faster than I expected to be. Also, considering all the requests for "The Misguided Fool" to continue, I won't get rid of it once I update "Never What it Seems". My special thanks to Bakura13 and cold-crescent-moon


	2. Chapter: 1…Reaction in between

**Title: **The Misguided Fool

**Foreshadow:** _Was she just an honest girl? _

_A girl who was attracted to a man she'd just met and said so without hesitation or any attempt to play games? Somehow, he wasn't quite prepared to buy that. He wasn't that vain—or that gullible. And he was a skeptical guy._

_So what was she up to?_

_Syaoran frowned at her, trying to listen to his instincts. "I'm getting confused. Are you after a husband, a lover, or a date?" _

**Chapter**: 1…_Reaction in between_

**

* * *

**

Previously in

_**Prologue **_

"_I work for Haste Security, because they're my employers, then second, Eriol H. because he hired us to do the job, thirdly, Tomoyo, because she's the director of the exhibit. And you forth—," she glanced at his name tag he wore on his left side of the jacket, "Syaoran, because you're the head of security. And since the Eriol is away—I believe on his honeymoon with Tomoyo—I answer directly to you on any answers concerning security."_

"_And I don't need any of you to hovering over me, incase nobody told you—I'm very good at what I do."_

"_That remains to be seen," Syaoran said. He felt very irritated of her. And couldn't take his eyes off her vivid expression, it was disconcerting combination of reaction._

* * *

Uncomfortable at the outcome of the conversation, Syaoran quickly changing the subject and demanded, "Well, why the hell did the door alarm went off?!"

Sakura shrugged and answered him easily without any remorse. "The door alarm is back on line soon. I had to take them off line because somebody had screwed up and it was threatening to blow up the whole system."

Without realizing it, Syaoran slowly took a step back.

"It wasn't me," He heard himself say, aware of the urge to defend him self because of the way she was holding her eyes at him. At the same time he was relieved to know that she had a good reason being under the desk. That had bothered him on some vague level of his mind.

Sakura laced her fingers together, still looking at him. After a few minutes she answered him mildly, "Well, it hardly matters since I fixed it, anyways the door alarms will be on in a few minutes."

"Which will be?"

"I had to start over with a new hard drive system, if you recall, so the data has to be reentered, from the operating system and up. Then the new security system has to be written, installed, and integrated. It'll take sometime; a week, or 9 days tops."

Syaoran felt his eyebrows escalating. If she could get the new security system in nine days they'd be ahead of schedule. Skeptical of nature he asked, "Aren't you being optimistic about that?"

"No."

Totally against his will, he felt a flicker of amusement. She might be little, but there was nothing little about Sakura's self-confidence. It was a trait he tended to respect.

"I'll hold you to it then, Miss Kinomoto."

With a mock salute she answered him, "I won't disappoint you, Li. I really don't need a reason for you to belittle me."

She then proceeded to dismiss him by attending to a novel by the desk with false enthusiasm and disregarded his entire presence, which infuriated Syaoran impossibly more. _You won't have the last words, Kinomoto._

"Shouldn't you get started then?" he suggested dryly.

Sakura nodded toward the main computer terminal atop the desk left of her boots. The screen was dark, but the drive system was humming quietly.

"I have started," Sakura grinned, "Until the operating system finishes loading that thing's nothing more than a very stupid, very expensive piece of junk waiting for somebody to tell it what to do."

Syaoran wasn't exactly computer-illiterate but, like most people, he just assumed that the machine wasn't on when the screen was dark.

And before he could either admit his ignorance or come-up with a face saving comeback she tossed the subject into a limbo of unimportant things. "How fast can you run?"

He blinked. "What?"

Sakura smiled and repeated herself, "Run. The mile, for instance. How fast can run the mile?"

_Good lord, what the hell is this girl talking about? _Syaoran managed out after thought, "The average, I suppose."

Then to his surprise, a devious little smile evoked itself in her annoying pretty little face and made him extremely nervous. "That's good."

Warily he ask, "Why's that good?"

Sakura's grin stretched wider across her face, "I was provincial champ in university."

x x x x x x x

A few hours went by after Kinomoto's dismissal, but her voice remained, still lingering in his thoughts. "What the hell was Eriol thinking when he hired that girl?"

Of course it didn't take long before Syaoran voice his frustration on something more physical and idle in time. "He knew this was going to happen when he was safe in his bloody honeymoon!"

As quick as lighting, Syaoran swung around and released his frustration again, and watched satisfied as his fist connected with the misfortunate sac bag that suspended in air by a metal chain, with a picture of his dear cousin imprinted in the centre.

_Release all of you pent-up rage into an inanimate object, Mr. Li_. Syaoran remembered the oddly calm voice echoing in his mind. _Now, directing your frustration—of that certain someone—into said object_.

This was one of the many techniques he had learned in anger management his fellow colleagues had funded for him to take, a few months ago.

And he had the feeling that this would be a regular occurrence for the next few days.

_Damn that __Hiiragizzwa. I bet my ass that he's the one responsible for Kinomoto. Just wait till he comes back from his honeymoon. I'll make sure that's the last trip he'll ever take in his life ever again._

x x x x x x x

Eriol sneezed for no apparent reason and thought bemusedly how it might probably be the case of his dear cousin.

Out of all of the places she had ever been and spots she had ever just sat and stared off into space from this vacation, Tomoyo's most favorite was the beach. It seemed that from there she could see everything she would ever want to see and it just felt so secure; comfortable and safe.

From her spot with her new hubby, she could feel the life going on around. The young director sighed as she snuggled deeper into her husband's chest. "I wish this week won't ever end."

Eriol chuckled nervously and patted her back, "I hope so as well."

Tomoyo paused, suspicious at Eriol's nervous tone of voice. "Are you hiding something from me?"

Eriol sighed in exasperation. _Of course she'd know something was up. _"Um, just the work."

However, Tomoyo's suspicion heightened at his coy answer, like the many similar ones she had been receiving for the past three nights, she decided to take a more persistent role. "Why does it feel like your avoiding this topic, Eriol? In fact, why have you been so edgy this past three days?"

"You make it sound like I'm running away from something, Tomoyo dear."

Tomoyo pushed herself from her newly husband and folded her arms across her chest, feeling more than _slightly agitated_, "_Are_ _you_ running away from something, Eriol, _dearest_?"

Seeing that Eriol wouldn't give her a straight answer, she left him, on their beach, to the hotel room and began to repack her belongings. "Tomoyo—" Eriol called out, knowing that either way, he was losing.

Knowing fully well he would definitely be sleeping on the floor tonight.

x x x x x x x

"Hello, Margaret?" Tomoyo paused as the woman on the other line began to talking with hyped enthusiasm and waited until she began ask about her _Magical _time in her honeymoon. "Its fine. Well, Margaret, the reason I called so to see if something _new _or out of the ordinary happened while I was away—"

It didn't take the other person in line began to go in full details about a certain Technician and a certain Security expert and a certain drama from both parties. "Really, now?"

After another hour of listening Tomoyo concluded that her husband had done something immaculately wrong and devilish—something he shouldn't have done with including his new wife.

* * *

**AN**: For the next few updates, please feel free to ask as many questions in reviews to get a good idea how this story might turn out to be: Examples from _**Prologue**_:

**callmeJools**: Is there going to be something interesting going on between them soon?

**AN**: This is an old story so I was a tad impatient back then, so interesting things between those two happens, usually

**callmeJools**: Are there going to be some lime?

**AN**: …actually, questions about this story's age rating was common this week. I want to keep this story clean and innocent but, apparently, the majority of my readers replies to me were about M ratings. I don't want to disappoint my younger readers though.

**HinataForever89**: about the exhibit theme. Is there going to be a robbery attempt or something?

**AN**: …you're quite keen, aren't you, Hinata? Well, actually, yes. A little spoiler actually, but I don't mind. I'm playing with the elegant and cunning Tomoyo a bit for that theme.

**Onceatheif**: Are you going to keep it a good laugh?

**AN**: I'll try to keep this amusing and a good laugh, but expect some more on the way. I am not a Disney type of person.

**ya.tryme**: when do you plan on updating?

**AN**: another easy common question, ytm. It really depends on the number of reviews and stories I read. If a good ten review comes up, I'll stay in my room enthusiastically writing for hours for those readers; but, generally, I'll have update one chapter per month because of my time on "Never what it Seems"


	3. Chapter: 2

**Title: **The Misguided Fool

**Foreshadow:** _Tomoyo giggled as she saw Syaoran marching back and forth the employee's lounge and poured herself a cup of coffee. "Hello, Xiao Lang."_

_At the cheery mention of his name, he turned to face Tomoyo with his temper still at rise. "What the hell are you—," but before anything, he was cut off by a harsh impact against his skull which sent him face plant on the cold floor._

_"Its not nice to swear in front of a pregnant woman, Xiao Lang."_

**Chapter: **2…_Realization and obvious denial_

* * *

_**:Chapter 2:**_

Syaoran reluctantly entered the room and sought for the sight of the small brunet. It didn't take him long before he saw her typing away in the large security system, a pace immaculately quick, her fingers flying by from key-to-key.

After five minutes of standing idle and watching her work, he felt annoyed of her little to none response as she didn't greet his presence in the room. "Hey, Kinomoto."

To feed more of his rising anger, she raised her pace in her work and continued to ignore him. "Kinomoto!"

Not as much as a flinch, the young technician sighed and paused from her work. Sakura leaned away from the machine and screen and turned around to face her supervisor with a peeved look across her face. "What?"

Syaoran felt his brows twitching, "When's the next surveillance camera in display case number seventeen going to be running?"

"Haven't I already told you that I don't need any of you to hovering over me?" seeing that Syaoran wasn't about to leave her to her job anytime soon, Sakura answered him. "It should be running in an hour while I work on installing the new Infrared Illuminators."

Syaoran nodded before he was about to leave the room. "Good."

But, as usual, Sakura had the last word, just as Syaoran was about to leave for him to catch, "Obviously."

x x x x x x x

How would you rate our pretty young technician, Eriol?"

Eriol flinched at the tone his newly wedded wife was pressing on him. "Yes, well, I haven't precisely met the girl yet so I can't possibly say—"

He paused when he saw the Sakura's dossier waving back and forth from her hands.

Tomoyo repeated herself, "How would you rate her, Eriol?"

"Perfect."

Tomoyo grinned as she opened the folder and rummaged through its continents. "Age twenty two, fresh out of university in her second year in Haste Security—a genius in the security technological relations. She's a provincial track star, head of the debate team, and _single._"

Eriol winced at the implication he was seeing. "Tomoyo, dear, I don't think it is wise for you to—"

She stopped him before he could continiue, "Now, Eriol, _dear,_" she said stressing the word, and reminding him of his place in life, "keeping this a secret from me in the first place was not _wise _on your count. Now I don't think you want to repeat the last few days of our honeymoon." She smiled innocently to her husband's deathly white pale visage, "Now do you?"

Hanging in defeat of the lingering threat, Eriol shook his head. "Good," Tomoyo laid the folder back onto the table beside her and smiled. "Now, I hope you're ready for our next flight back to Tokyo."

x x x x x x x

**Back to Syaoran…**

After another heated argument about each other's history and status in life, Syaoran's anger began taking on a new level and his reading from her became more complicated than he had intended for, especially after her last question, which had caught him off guard.

Was she just an honest girl? A girl who was attracted to a man she'd just met and said so without hesitation or any attempt to play games? Somehow, he wasn't quite prepared to buy that. He wasn't that vain—or that gullible. And he was a skeptical guy.

So what was she up to?

Syaoran frowned at her, trying to listen to his instincts. "I'm getting confused. Are you after a husband, a lover, or a date?"

"Well that depends on your stamina, doesn't it? At least I assume that's your problem. Judging by what I know of your track record, there must be _some_ reason why you haven't been able to go the distance—any distance at all—of your previous blonds."

Whatever Syaoran's instincts were trying to tell him was drowned by a roar of anger. Biting every word off, he said, "Did it ever occurred to you it was the _problem _of continuing was the lack of interest of both sides?"

Sakura pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I supposed it might have occurred to me, but any man who dates a carbon copy of one type of woman must be sure he knows what he wants and certainly should know what makes him happy. Assuming that, you must be satisfied with brief, surfaced relationships—or else you might have tried an effort to try something different. Ergo, if there is a problem... it's yours."

Syaoran didn't find the logic of her argument, mostly because her drawling voice and dispassionate tone—not to mention her words—were feeding his temper steadily. If she set out to make him so mad he would act purely on impulse, she couldn't have done a better job.

Almost growling the question he asked, "Did you drive here this morning?"

"No, I took the cab."

"Then meet me out here at seven."

"You're on," Sakura replied promptly.

Syaoran turned his heels and stalked out of the room.

After a few moments Sakura got up. She went to the door and closed it quietly. She leaned against it, gazing at nothing in particular, until a beep from the computer terminal drew her back to the desk.

x x x x x x x

At the start of the break, just like they'd planned, Syaoran met her at the front foyer. "So, what car do you drive then?"

"Something practical," she answered promptly. "And while I'm here I'm probably going to rent a jeep."

Syaoran eyed her, "So you're a practical girl?" He expected her to bristle a bit or at least deny the horrible accusation; in his experience no girl had wanted to be termed practical. But Sakura —not for the first time—didn't react as expected.

"Oh, it's far worse than that," she said in a solemn voice. "I'm a logical girl."

Syaoran had the notion that he was being warned. "So should I act accordingly?"

Sakura shrugged slightly, "That's up to you, just don't expect me to act like one of your Barbie dolls."

"Will you stop calling them that?"

"Are you offended on their behalves—or yours?"

The drawled question brought him up short, because he realized he was offended of his own behalf. That was a sobering realization, so he was naturally annoyed at Sakura for having made him face it. "Look," he began, but broke off abruptly when he noticed something odd.

There was a creature on her shoulder. He wasn't sure what it was but it had green eyes. That was literally all he could see, since her hair was so thick and whatever was there blended right in. "What, is that?" he asked cautiously.

She didn't need the question clarified. With a practical gesture, she reached up and flipped her long hair back behind that shoulder revealing a very small... kitten.

"I hope you not allergic; Kero goes everywhere with me—except restaurants."

"Kero?"

"Yes, Kero, he's my familiar."

Syaoran had an odd feeling that she wasn't kidding. And since the little creature did looked eerily like her, even to the striking vividness of its green eyes, the idea that there could be supernatural between the girl and the creature didn't seem as farfetched as it should've been.

"I see," he said.

"Doubt it."

He straightened away from the car and stared down at her, instinctively attempting a very old intimidating ploy by making his greater size obvious—and consciously knowing that it wasn't working on Sakura. Though her chin rose slightly when he loomed over her, she didn't step back and looked, if anything amused.

Syaoran nearly snapped the words off. "Are you this confrontational with everyone or is it just me?"

"Lots of people—but not everyone, it must be your lucky day." She smiled, "I forgot to mention, I was the captain of the debate team in college."

_Wonderful_, Syaoran thought with a reluctant flicker of humor. _As a track star, she could chase him down, and once she caught him, he would never be able to win an argument with her._ "This just gets better by the minute." he told her ironically.

"Oh, be brave," she said. "Surely your not worried about one measly date. Isn't that why you ordered me to meet you out here, by the way? I mean are we going somewhere, and if so, could we get started? In case you haven't noticed it's freezing out here."

"I know I'm going to regret this." He murmured and opened the car and gestured her to get in the car.

"Are you a gentle borne, or is it something you have to work at?"

"Get in the car." He said.

She grinned at him and got in.

By the time Syaoran closed the door with exquisite care and went to his side, he counted to ten at least five times. "Where would you like to go?"

"Well it's your invite—at least it was sort of an invitation," she said. "So it's up to you where we go. Since neither of us is really dressed for it, we'd better rule out anyplace fancy. Not that I mind being in jeans, but we have your reputation to consider."

If it wasn't too late for a reservation for "someplace fancy," Syaoran would've taken her to the best place in town and suffered the indignity of being given a tie by the waiter just to have watch her regret her blithe words. She would have, surely. Even the most self-confident of the female population would have felt underdressed in jeans and sweater.

He knew he was letting her get to him, and couldn't help it. Her light mockery grated on his nerves, or something else about her was affecting his senses in the most peculiar way. He didn't know weather he wanted to strangle her or fiercely kiss her to shut those lips of hers.

"I'm not hard to please," she said in a voice that was driving him insane, "A crust of bread and a little water—" Syaoran muttered something under his breath.

"Such language." She murmured.

x x x x x x x

"Can you cook?" he asked her.

"Of course I can." She leaned toward him just a little to add in a conspiratorial tone, "In fact I can cook with a real stove—no microwave required."

"Is there anything you can't do?"

"Along the lines of womanly talents, you mean? Right offhand, I can't think of anything. My mum was a very old-fashioned mother who truly believed there was a woman's work."

Starting the car at last, Syaoran said dryly, "So what happened to you?"

Unoffended, she laughed, "My dad was a different sort—something that I'm grateful for. What with him saying I had a good mind and had to study hard, and mum teaching me how to make cookies from scratch, I ended up with a goodly number of diverse talents."

He kept asking questions, prompting her to talk about her background, and her lazy answers led him to more questions. By the time he turned the car into the parking lot a good Italian restaurant an hour or so later, he had more or less forgotten the friction between them.

"_How_ many brothers?" He demanded as he parked the car.

"Five." She chuckled. "So I guess it's no wonder mum sort of went overboard when she finally got a girl."

"Then they're a lot older than you?"

"Yeah, and bigger too. I mean, really bigger; they all took after dad, and I took after mum."

"Do they live in Tomeda?" he asked, since she'd told him that was where she grew up.

"No, we're pretty scattered."

x x x x x x x

With reluctance, Syaoran chose a little dinner just across the block from the museum and entered with a bemused Sakura a few steps in front. But to add to his dismay, Syaoran caught a glimpse of a person inside, who was the last person he wished to collide with.

_Shit._

Sakura, being keen that she was noticed his pause in step and turned to him, curious. "Am I missing something? Why aren't we going in?"

Syaoran played a list of pros and cons of entering the dinner. _Pro_; he would not have to deal with her sarcasm and finish their _date _earlier in advance. _Con_; if they were to enter a certain someone may interrupt them in the process. _Pro_; being interrupted on their _date _wasn't such a bad situation. _Con_; that certain someone would prove Kinomoto about her certain philosophy of his love life. _Con_; Sakura will win in another debate between them. _Con_; he did not want to lose another match between her again to belittle _him _of all people. _Pro_; Sakura will stop staring at him in that odd sexy way.

Weighing at his mental list, Syaoran saw that the cons had outweighed the pros and nodded. This little action brought another confused expression across _her _face.

"What are you—" and before she could continue, Syaoran turned his heal and walked back to the car. "We're eating somewhere else."

Unfortunately for Syaoran, Sakura had regained from her confusion and disagreed with his statement. She quickly occupied his hand with hers and began to drag him into the dinner again. "We are eating here, Syaoran, whether you like it or not."

x x x x x x x

Syaoran?" A blonde lifted herself from her seat and placed her hot cup of coffee back on to the table. She gaze lingered from between Sakura and him with disbelief. "Is that you?"

Syaoran groaned as a look of recognition played between Sakura and the blonde. "Hello, Rachel."

Inside Sakura's mind, she felt herself bawling in laughter as the blonde began giving her the look over and Syaoran played a look of mortification. "Who are you then?"

With this question and obvious venom from the blonde, also referred to as _Rachel_ Sakura answered cheerfuly, "Hi, I'm Sakura Kinomoto, Syaoran's date." _And his next rebound blonde_, Sakura mentally added with humor.

Apparently, that information didn't go too well for the blonde before she played her attention back at the miserable Syaoran. "Syaoran darling, how long has it been, really?" Sakura's humor escalated as she saw through the change of tactics by the blonde.

"It's been two weeks, I suppose."

The blonde then smugly proceeded to cover the small distance between them and clung to Syaoran very obscurely. "Dear girl, he is such a good fun isn't he?"

Syaoran catching on to Rachel's implication paled for Sakura's response.

Sakura answered the other woman with a false cheery tone, in a way opposite of how the woman would of thought of her to answer, "Why of course, but you would know better than me, now, don't you?"

Syaoran felt his lips twitch upwards; feeling a slight amusement spreading though his body seeing the predicament Sakura had cunningly placed Rachel. Rachel, with her arms around his, pressing her breasts there, flushed with retaliation, "Well, now, what is that supposed to mean?"

Sakura feigned innocence, "Oh? Well, I was just saying that since you obviously had been with Syaoran previously, you would know how to have fun with him better than I could since, I'm just a colleague he's treating to lunch."

Syaoran winced.

Of course, Sakura had won.

He expected nothing less from her.

"Yes, well," Rachel recovered from her defeat, "how are the exhibition plans going, Syaoran? I heard that your previous security system has gone down and is being replaced with a new."

This caught both Sakura and Syaoran's attention. From what they had known, that part of information had remained a secret for security reasons, with all the threats of thievery lingering in their thoughts. Even their sponsors hadn't been informed as of yet.

"It's fine."

"Well, you must let me see this impressive new installation. After all, I am so interested in your line of work."

Sakura felt her eyes narrow in the woman as she felt a certain woman's intuition tingling wrongly about the woman in front of them, "I'll be sure to mention to Hiiragizzwa to send you an invitation to the opening. I'm sure Syaoran would be glad to give you a demonstration about the security to you, then."

Another point was handed to Sakura.

Although fazed, Rachel pried with the topic again. "Well, I'd rather like to see it before hand if Syaoran could with our previous connections. I mean, we are _friends._"

Syaoran groaned at that implication.

"Well," Sakura decided it was best to dismissed the woman before things got out of hand. "We really don't have much time left before our lunch break is over. Do you want to join us for lunch?"

Rachel scowled at her then, marring her mask of pretty little face, "Oh, well, I have to get going now, but thank you for the invite." Seeing the woman go, Sakura proceeded to a seat by the doors to order their quick lunch.

x x x x x x x

Either Syaoran's mistrust had shown more plainly than he's thought, or else she was developing a unique talent for reading his expressions; which ever the case, he didn't like it.

"I didn't mean—" he began.

"Oh, don't' bother to deny it, Syaoran. I can certainly understand your position. I mean, the exhibit isn't in place yet, and there had been so many problems. And I'm sure you'd feel just awful if somebody you were seeing personally—like say Rachel—actually turned to be a thief bent on stealing the priceless collection."

He could feel himself tense again. That drawling voice, dammit. And she had a knack of putting things in such a way that they sounded like they really did sound insulting.

"I am not seeing her," he said through gritted teeth. "Not now, anyways."

Sakura's expressive face took on a look of spurious sympathy. "Yeah, she was another who didn't last long, wasn't she? Have you considered therapy?"

"There's nothing wrong with me!" he practically roared.

She blinked. "No, of course not, lots of guys have difficulty at finding the right girl. But I still say you should broaden your horizons. I mean, you've got to be—what? Pushing thirty?"

"Twenty-four," he snapped, telling himself to calm down, because he was sure her eyes were laughing at him.

"Oh, sorry—I'm twenty-two," she said solemnly. "Well, still. You must have been concentrating on your favorite kind of blondes for twenty years now. I'd think that by this time common sense would've told you that whatever it is you're looking for—isn't there."

Syaoran knew—he knew—that he was being deliberately maneuvered. He was even sure that if he stopped and thought about it, he'd come to the conclusion that she had brought up his social preferences every time he had ventured into some area she didn't want to talk about.

"What makes you think that _you've_ got what I'm looking for?" he demanded, unaware that he had moved closer to her side. She was sitting sideways on the couch with her feet up, his thigh against her hip.

"I didn't say that," she murmured, her ridiculously long lashes dropping to veil her brilliant eyes.

"That's trash, Sakura. You'd been saying it all day. What's wrong Sakura? Didn't you think I'd get curious?"

Her long lashes rose as she looked at him, and her eyes were quite definitely laughing. Gravely, she said, "Now, don't do anything you'll regret later. We both know you goaded into this, and if you let me get away with it... I'll always know which buttons to push. Won't I?"

For the second time this day, he said, "I know I'm going to regret this." Then he pulled her into an embrace.

What he felt those first few moments was not regret. She was warm, slender and all frightening delicate in his arms, but all female.

She was the girl he wanted—that's what he felt.

She was the girl he wanted…

Sakura wasn't immediately aware that he was leaving her, and when it dawned to her, it took her a moment or so to find her voice. "Did I do something wrong?"

His eyes were burning like the silver at the base of the flame. "Yeah," he answered, his voice both soft and harsh. "You met me."

* * *

**AN**: I was really happy with the reviews I received last week and decided, _its break so I might as well write some more. _And I would love to answer some of the questions you gave me…

**Freedec**: Are Tomoyo and Sakura still best friends in here? I hope so...

**AN**: actually, this is something I considered back then when I began to write this story. But to answer your question, they aren't childhood friends like the anime entails. You'll see as the results later in the story

**chaoticme**: Just how straightforward is this Sakura? Is she like a jumper or something?

**AN**: …no, chaotic. Sakura is not a jumper, and her character has a reason in this story. As too how straightforward she might be, you'll have to keep reading on, won't you?

**Freedec**: Will Touya be here??

**AN**: Heheh. What will we do without the infamous overprotective brother? Don't worry, he and others will appear later on

**callmeJools**: will this be a love-hate situation?

**AN**: Hmm…I was thinking about that when I restarted this story. Although, really, anything can happen.

**Freedec**: Sakura has an interesting personality here although I wonder how her athletic abilities are of any use here??

**AN**: Freedec, you seem to have awful lot of good questions well actually, this is an info that will be useful for me through Chapter 3-5.


	4. Chapter: 3

**Title: **The Misguided Fool

**Foreshadow: **"I can't believe this." Syaoran repeated for the forth time this minute, "Why the hell am I letting this woman push me around so freely?"

Just then, on cue, Sakura called out to him with his second task, "Oh, and get Kero from the ceiling would you? My neighbor's coming to watch him for the day."

"What?"

**Chapter: **3…_Enters Tomoyo_

* * *

_**:Chapter 3:**_

She left the computer room only once in the next hour, going across the hall to the employee's lounge to refill her coffee cup. She met nobody along the way and didn't linger.

It was nearly eleven o'clock when a brisk rap on the jamb of the door open door heralded Tomoyo Daidouji's entrance into the room. It has only been a day after their _date _that Tomoyo, now officially Mrs. Hiiragizzwa returned to the museum a week early from her Honeymoon, surprising everyone, while her husband remained at home, with Sakura—and others—unable to make contact with him at the moment.

The young director of the "Troy" exhibit had made an entrance looking as elegant as usual, her gleaming jet hair worn up today and her astonishing figure simply clothed in an amber silk blouse and black pants.

Sakura, dressed in faded jeans and a green plaid shirt worn over a black turtle neck sweater, felt a pang of rueful envy for the other woman's effortless sense of elegance.

"Hey," Tomoyo said as she breezed in.

"Hi, yourself," Sakura responded. "What's up?"

Amethyst eyes shone with interest as Tomoyo rested a hip on one corner of the desk, automatically scratching Kero under the chin, she replied mildly. "Our little Syaoran's acting like he got his claw caught in a steel trap."

Sakura ignore the implication in Tomoyo's answer, "Yeah?"

"Yes, and since one of the guards saw you two leave together yesterday, the place is full of speculation."

Sakura had a felling it might be.

She leaned back on her chair. "So you're in charge of officially verifying the facts?" she asked politely.

Tomoyo giggled warmly. "Not at all, I'm just incredibly nosy. I'm also very impressed—if, you _are_ responsible for Syaoran's lousy mood."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Because from what I've seen in the last few months, Syaoran hasn't let any girl get close enough to barely annoy him, much less get under his skin to the point that he's snapping everybody's head off." _And it couldn't hurt that just the colour of your eyes would freeze him in his place, Tomoyo thought bemusedly._

"As I know for sure," Sakura commented dryly, "he's let plenty of the girls get close."

"Oh, physically, sure, but nowhere near emotionally. Even Rachel Conte couldn't make a dent—and she's been enslaving men in her teens."

"I'm not his type." Sakura blurted out, wanting for this pointless talk to stop. "Hardly five-foot-ten and sylphlike. And nowhere near a Barbie doll."

It was obvious Tomoyo wasn't going to give her the answer she was probing for, and her giggle this time held graceful acceptance. "Okay, okay, I know when I'm being warned off. But, just for the record, I think the reason Syaoran is snapping at everyone is because you _are_ his type—and he's getting real nervous about it."

Sakura smiled slightly.

Tomoyo's smile grew wider. "You know, both you and Syaoran is so closemouthed you'll drive each other nuts. Oh, boy, this is going to be good. I'll get myself a front row seat, and watch you from the sidelines."

"Suit yourself."

x x x x x x x

Settling back into her workplace, she closed the door firmly and stared blankly at the machine until a phone ring brought her back to state. "Hello?"

"Just what the hell did your boss put you up to?" The caller hissed.

Sakura sighed recognizing the voice and dropped her formality. "There's nothing wrong with playing along with his plans."

"But I was bloody sure Uncle wouldn't send you of all people to do the job!"

Sakura heard a cheery voice in the background. "Hello, Sakura." He seemed to be arguing with her caller, "Can I take the phone, can I? I haven't caller her in weeks, since Venice!"

Sakura giggled, "Your always so protective of me—seriously we've only went on a little insignificant date yesterday."

There was a long silence, and then his voice came back over the line softly. "You did what?"

"You heard me."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me last night?"

Gently, she replied, "Because I didn't see the need to—it's my call."

Another long silence, and when he spoke it was obvious he was holding on to a formidable temper. "I see. Then you don't mind telling me—"

A firm knock on the door, loud enough for him to hear interrupted him. Quickly, he said, "Call me back later—"

"Wait," she said. Raising her voice, she invited the visitor to enter. Since the knock had been so emphatic, she wasn't surprised when Syaoran came in. "Be with you in a minute," she told him calmly, and then, into the phone, said, "You were saying?"

"It's him isn't it? He's there, inside the room?"

Then, Sakura heard a background conversation between her caller and his secretary. "Sir? I don't think Mr. Welsh would be pleased to find another desk—never mind."

"I don't give a damn about the desk or Welsh! I might as well go after the man for getting Sakura involved with this—this, assignment of hers! Shooting him would be too quick. Roast him over a fire—"

The secretary heaved a sigh, "I will cancel your appointment for this evening."

"Damn straight you will, woman!"

Sakura ignore the dialogue at her caller's side and answered the question. "Yes, he's here." She watched Syaoran close the door.

The silence was brief, and the previous cheery voice on the phone, clearly amused. "You'd play with explosives in an explosion, wouldn't you Sakura?"

"Sure, it's in my resume."

Pivoting her chair to the other direction, Sakura turned her back to Syaoran hiding the smile tugging at her face.

"Hey! That is my phone, give it here! Hello, Sakura? Well, never mind. Just call me when you're free. We have to meet up before all this goes to hell."

"I'll do that," Sakura answered her caller, "Thank you very much sir."

He made a rude noise—obviously because he knew her curtsey was for Syaoran's benefit—and hung up.

Sakura cradled the phone and looked at the visitor towering over her desk. Before he could tell her why he came in, Sakura, characteristically, strolled in where a sane man would have hesitated to go. "So, I heard you've been a mite testy this morning." She offered solemnly.

His impassive mask cracked a bit as his mouth tightened. "Tomoyo talks too much."

Sakura chuckled. "I doubt even Tomoyo would argue with that assessment. She's only has your best interest at heart."

"I don't need help," Syaoran snapped. "And I want her to mind her own business."

Sakura leaned an elbow on the desk, propped her chin in her hand, and gently drawled, "People in hell want ice water; that don't mean they get it."

Syaoran stared at her. For the life in him, he couldn't think of a thing to say.

"So, what do I owe the pleasure of having you grace your lordly presence here?"

x x x x x x x

Syaoran, after another round with the infamous technician—and feisty mind which could match his own temper—Kinomoto, stormed into the employees' room and began putting his therapy to good use.

"You!" he snapped to a new guard on break, "What the hell are you doing here taking a bloody break while those tours full of teenagers are roaming around the museum? Get your lazy ass back out there and make sure you have every one of those kids in order!"

Seeing that the guard was about to talk back, probably something along the workplace rights, he bared his fangs and repeated himself, "Get your lazy ass out!"

One look into Syaoran's poise would've told anyone, he would've gladly taken any excuse to hit someone, and this newbie didn't want to test his anger. He was out in a flash.

Now, onto his next victims. Syaoran scanned the room for another poor hearted sap he could relieve his pent up anger. If only he wasn't so thoroughly taught by his mother to not attack a female no matter the situation. Because, more than anything, he wanted to jump her and strangle her little neck and shut those ripe lips of hers, and shut out her drawling tone.

How did he become so emotionally invoked by a woman, especially by the likes of hers, in such a short amount of time?

To his pleasure he saw a poor innocent sap smoking in the back room, a perfect target for his situation.

Buddy, this just isn't your day.

x x x x x x x

Tomoyo giggled as she saw Syaoran marching back and forth the employee's lounge and poured herself a cup of coffee. "Hello, Xiao Lang."

At the cheery mention of his name, he turned to face Tomoyo with his temper still at rise. "What the hell are you—," but before anything, he was cut off by a harsh impact against his skull which sent him face plant on the cold floor.

"Its not nice to swear in front of a pregnant woman, Xiao Lang."

He groaned at the tall raven-haired woman standing by Tomoyo, her purse swaying at her side. "What are you doing here, Meiling?"

The said woman smiled and began to squeeze the life forces out of him, which she had persistently called an embrace between cousins, although, he knew, it was her secret way of punishing him for ever being born into her precious life.

"Its, nice to see you to my favourite male cousin!" she grinned.

"I'm your _only_ male cousin." Syaoran managed to retort through the suffocation.

Once Tomoyo had settled them away from each other, she sat down on to the soft cream sofa and took a soft sip of her coffee. "So, we can see that your last encounter with Miss Kinomoto was rather…_eventful_."

Meiling snickered, "Eventful my ass; I heard that she's the kind of woman that can stand up to this bloated egoistic glory of a male. How did your date go out?"

"Just how many people have you been telling, Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo looked innocently at the scowling Syaoran, who seemed to be generally holding back after hearing her present situation. He really was fawned of her as a friend.

But there was always a limitation to friendship.

"I've no idea what you are implying, Xiao Lang. I've only talked to our favorite technician to verify the right information."

* * *

**AN**: I was v. happy with the reviews I had last week and decided to write another review for all of my readers. And so many insightful questions and comments, too I'll be happy to answer them for you:

**KamichamaKarinLover25**: Will the 5 brothers be here?

**AN**: KKL, you are quite keen, aren't you? Well, although this is slightly a spoiler, they won't be in the story until the next chapter. You might like the entrance they take

**Cheeseycraziness**: Great tactic Sakura, you really got him annoyed, but your plan backfired - he took your advice. . Rachel was HILARIOUS.

**AN**: Thank you Cheeseycrazines, your reviews makes my day, along with the others. Like KKL, you are quite keen, too. The backfire is something very real in this story.

**Syaoran Dante**: oh starting to get closer to each other now.

**AN**: I find your comments on each review fun to read Very perspective of you, but don't be fooled too much with the way this story is going—I'm rather known for twisting a story to another completely opposite direction, I won't be too easy to follow after the first few chapters

**shine my star**:You mention Kero as her familiar. Will magic be involved in the story?

**AN**: oh, this latest review gets me tingling. What a great question although, really there is not stupid questions. You really are keen! Well, I cannot spoil it for other readers by answering this one, but the suggestion will be taken. Ofcourse, others can add to it, as well

**Freedec**: All I want to say now is-Touya Touya touya... P.S - Didn't mean to bug you with my questions last time...

**AN**: Dear Freedec, your questions did not bug me. In fact, I value any questions that comes along, b/c it just shows how generally interested people are at my story. Meh. Well, as for your Touya obsession, he will make a public appearance pretty soon


	5. Chapter: 4

**Title: **The Misguided Fool

**Foreshadow:** _Li had spent quite a bit of time reasoning with himself during the past couple of hours, coming to the conclusion that Sakura Kinomoto was not only __**not **__his type, she was also virtually guaranteed to make his life far more difficult than it needed to be. He had, therefore, very calmly and rationally decided that he was not going to let her get to him during this, their first and last date._

**Chapter: **4…Enters the thief.

* * *

_**:Chapter 4:**_

Outside the penthouse windows, darkness hid the fog that had rolled in and now clung wetly to the city; it was a fairly typical Tokyo night. Inside antique furniture glowed in the soft lighting of several lamps turned low. And in the sunken den, the brisk crackling of flames in the big marble fireplace was the only sound to break the tense silence.

The man on the couch, who'd been staring into the fire with a scowl, spoke without so much as looking to his visitor. "What makes you think you can catch him? So far, nobody's come close. A whisper of a name, that's all he is."

The visitor had prowled about the room as he talked but now sat in a chair that displayed great animosity. Like his host, his voice was low. "A lesson I learned a long time ago: With the right bait, you can catch anything—and anyone. The bait you have to offer is guaranteed to draw him out."

His host slanted him a look. "I'll grant that. It's guaranteed to draw every thief you could name out of the woodwork. They'll be tripping over each other."

"It won't be as bad as that. Strict security will weed out all but the...ah...serious contenders."

"Strict security?" The man on the couch gave a soft laugh. "We both know that most of the time in most places security's a pretty illusion, even with state-of-the-art technology. They want in badly enough—they'll find a way. Sure, the petty thieves will be discouraged if security looks tough, but it still leaves a fairly large field of hopefuls."

The visitor nodded. "I know, but there really aren't many out there ambitious enough to go after any part of the Troy collection, no matter what kind of security we surround it with. For one thing, it'd be damned difficult to sell any of it. Virtually all the individual pieces are so well-known they'd make any fence think twice and then opt out. The risk outweighs the potential profit. I really believe the bait would draw a _collector_—not just a thief out for a quick score."

"Some thieves are collectors," his host pointed out.

"Not many. But he's one of them. And look at his track record. Every piece we know he's taken in the last three years was one of a kind and had a colorful past; most had so-called curses attached to them. Just like the Emerald statue. One whisper that the statue is out of a vault on public display is going to make his mouth water."

The visitor shifted restlessly and added, "I don't want to risk the whole collection. This madman's greedy enough to take everything if we make it too easy for him."

"I can't display the statue alone. It's part of the collection, and I've said publicly more than once I'd never exhibit any single piece alone. If I had a sudden change of heart now, any thief worth his life would smell a trap."

After a moment, the visitor said, "Damn it, I didn't know you'd said that. If I had, I never would have—I can't ask you to risk the entire collection, it's too dangerous. A single piece we could protect, _I_ could protect, but if the collection is always together in one place, and he gets past security, past me...he could get it all."

"The bait and the wolf gone forever," Returning his gaze to the bright fire, the man on the couch said quietly, "It's taken my family almost five centuries to assemble the collection."

"I know." There was a long silence, and then the visitor said softly, "It was a crazy idea. I'll try something else, Touya."

Touya Kinomoto sent the visitor another look, this one a bit wry. "There's nothing else to try, and you know it. The kind of bait you need is rare; off-hand, I can't think of another collector who'd be willing to take the risk."

"I can't ask _you_ to take it."

"What choice do you have?"

x x x x x x x

The worn folder contained a number of eight-by-ten photographs in full color. They were pictures that had been printed again and again in books and magazines all over the world. The Troy collection rivaled the treasures of the Pharaohs in terms of sheer dazzling mystique and public fascination.

It was the last great _**family**_ collection of jewelry and artworks, privately owned and displayed only at the whim of its owner. It hadn't appeared publicly for more than fifty years.

He opened the folder with hands that weren't quite steady, and a tight little breath escaped him when the light of the desk lamp fell onto the first photograph. No matter how many times he saw it, the effect on him was always the same. Simply but exquisitely set in a pendant of twenty-four-karat gold, the Emerald statue was breathtaking. The brilliant aquatic green so vivid it was as if the stone had captured a piece of the sea.

The centerpiece of the Troy collection was flawless and priceless. Like the Hope diamond, the emerald possessed a colorful and often tragic history; it was supposed to be cursed, but _he_ didn't believe in curses.

He rubbed a finger across the photo, almost able to feel the coolness of the polished stone. Then, forcing himself, he turned the photo over and began briefly studying the others, one by one.

They had less of an effect on him individually than the emerald had, but the splendor of the entire collection made his heart pound almost painfully.

The Midnight statue, made of a two-hundred-carat jade, flawed but beautiful in its rich, deep color; legend had it that the stone, believed to be nearly a thousand years old, had been found, faceted and dully polished, in the ruins of a temple in Taiwan almost three hundred years before.

The Amber pendant, a hundred and fifty carats of oval piece of the sun, engraved with cryptic symbols no one had yet been able to decipher, and set in a wide base of twenty-karat gold. In mystical circles, the story persisted that the amber had been used by Merlin, used to amplify the wizard's powers.

There were also numerous lesser pieces of jewelry—lesser in terms of value, but each stunning. From the brilliance of diamonds to the opacity of jade, ivory, and opal, virtually every precious and semiprecious stone known to man was represented at its very best.

Every major piece in the collection had a mystery attached to it in some way, many of them connected to historical events or people. Figurines, cups, and religious works of art in gold and gems—each piece had a story or legend connected to it.

Each piece was breathtaking.

And together, they would have tempted a saint.

_He_ wasn't a saint.

With trembling hands, he gathered the photographs together and returned them to the worn folder. The unveiling and exhibit would open in just about five days, and was scheduled to run for only three weeks in Seoul, Korea. After that, the collection would be returned to the safety and silence of the vaults that had protected it for decades.

Unless someone got to it first.

x x x x x x x

…Thanks, Meiling. I thought Syaoran would never stop interrogating me."

Meiling laughed, "That was fun. I never knew Eriol brought in such an interesting woman. Man, I wish I can see the two of them have a go; that'd be one hell of a show."

"Well, must get to my apartment to surprise Eriol."

"You mean he doesn't know?"

Laughing, Tomoyo got out of the car. "Maybe, we'll both keep this a secret from him?" She gave the other woman a knowing wink, "See you tomorrow." Closing the car, Tomoyo went up the walkway to the apartment building's front door, letting herself in to the well-lit lobby.

It was only then that she heard her _escort_ pull away from the curb and continue toward the museum just a few blocks away.

She started to take the stairs up to her apartment but hesitated with the hand still on the lobby door.

It was a strange feeling, as though she could—almost—hear someone calling her name.

She needed to go back outside.

Needed to do it _now._

Tomoyo looked down at her sleek amethyst gown and tiny evening purse, and muttered to herself, "This is stupid."

But she walked outside anyway and stood there on the well-lit walkway, looking slowly around. Not much to see, she thought. Couple of big trees casting deep shadows and other shadows casted around the bushes...

Tomoyo blinked.

One of the shadows began to step away from the bushes.

Then, Tomoyo could feel herself moving towards him, even before she made the conscious decision to...

x x x x x x x

Sakura sighed as she finished up securing the final display case when her phone began to ring.

"Hello?"

Quickly, the speaker cut to the chase, "I need an update at how you're taking to this assignment, Sakura."

Raising a tentive brow, she stared at the phone as though it had grown a second head, "Excuse me?"

"A report for every action and words spoken in your new assignment. Don't think I'll let this one go so lightly, Imouto. I don't trust who ever the hell put you up to this, but, ultimately, I am in charge of the entire operation."

Sighing frustrated, Sakura smothered her bewildered childish self from acting up. Rather, with great satisfaction, she snapped her mobile shut. Although she knew, he would call again, and she would have to answer.

"Yes?" she answered innocently.

"Why the hell do you always do that?"

Without a second thought she replied, "Because I can." To feed her growing satisfaction, she heard a growling from the other end, "Really now, Kenji. It's no wonder you don't have a girlfriend. You scare all of them away with your temper-temper."

Kenji addressed felt a heat rush over to his face, "Hey! This is not about me and my relationship—"

"—or what isn't," Sakura mildly corrected. Ignoring her comment, he continued, "This is about your new assignment and your play in the operation, which Touya has gone in a hellish mood ever since your last discussion."

Shrugging Sakura played with her keys, "And what does Touya going through a panty fit, have to do with me?"

"Volunteering yourself to stake out for this operation—do you realize how many people Touya enslaved this past few days because of it? Man. Michael is a poor example. If he didn't blow up the entire security hard drive in the first place, you wouldn't be there in the first place. You'd be in Miami, doing regular female things."

"Oh? But what if I had a secret heated hate sex with random strangers? How would Touya take that news then?"

Quickly following, Sakura heard another growling in the background, "What the hell are you implying?"

Recognizing the voice right away, Sakura greeted her other sibling cheerfully, "Hello Touya!"

"You know, I might have to cut off your summer vacations and send you to Alaska with a gay bodyguard."

Sakura felt her childish side huffing indignantly at the idea, but her mischievous side acted out by playing along, "Oh, that does seem too far for you Touya. As far as I'm concerned, I think I'd rather elope with the first man on work than suffer through your Alaska plan. I've heard there was a quick wedding drive-through in Las Vegas."

"Sakura!"

Laughing Sakura nodded at the tight tone. "I'm only kidding, Touya, Kenji. I wouldn't dream of not sending my future husband into your hands for you all to drag him into interrogation in the wine cellar before you threaten to cut off his testicles should anything happen to me."

After silence Touya replied to her remark, "Are you mocking me?"

"I'm sorry my sarcasm does not reach you dear brother. Now, what is it really that you wanted to talk about?"

"Kenji has pretty much covered it."

"Your pissed off mood?"

"Your daily reports of your positions in play"

"Touya. I don't think asking her about her 'positions in play' is the appropriate thing to say. I never knew you had such a dirty mind and interests."

The bright voice in the background and the simple implication tugged a smile to her face. "Yuki-kun!"

"Hello imouto!"

They both ignored the brief bewildered Touya and Kenji's "What the hell did you mean by that?"

"Ignore those two, Sakura-chan; I'll make sure to keep them in line. However, I would love to hear how your plan is working out? An inside job is pretty risky knowing _he's _going to be doing the same."

"What plan? How come I've never heard of the plan? Oi, Yuki! What the hell—"

Seeing as none of them were willing to give her the time and space, she smooched the receiver and gave a mock salute. "Well, I have to go off now, guys. Tell dad I said hi!"

And before anyone could protest, Sakura snapped her cell and threw it across the desk.

Then, just as she was finishing off her work, an idea came to her mind. "Oh, this is good. I can definitely use this to get a good hold onto… Now," Sakura broke into a grin, rubbing her hands together, "where can I find, Li?"

x x x x x x x

**Preview of Chapter 5…Joys of **

"_I never do anything like this."_

_Sakura smiled tightly, "I know."_

"_You do?" Syaoran asked confused._

"_Yes, you kept repeating that over and over all the way: I never do anything like this...I NEVER do anything like this...I never do ANYTHING like this..."_

"_I'm glad you see my point then." Syaoran growled. "Because there is no way you can talk me into doing this. Not unless Kevin prances into my office and sings me a song by Britney Spears!" Satisfied at the lack of response from the girl, he walked back into his office to take the rest of the break and have a peace relaxing time—time that didn't involve a certain technician._

* * *

**AN:** Another happy round of reviews Also, I would like to remind everyone, this story is written by me when I was 13. My writing style has changed--cutting to the chase, I'd love to answer more of the q's from readers to the best of my ability.

**Misunderstandings****:** when will Syaoran make a movee? x3

**AN:** Although Sakura and Syaoran aren't on this chapter, you'll be surprised how quick Syaoran will make his move.

**proud2Bscot****:** Who was on that phone conversation, Touya? and who was that other guy?

**AN**: Hmm. I thought it was too obvious to people who are familiar with CCS. Well, I guess it must remain a secret.

**HinataForever89****:** is Sakura some undercover agent?!

**AN:** …! I cannot, for the life in me, answer that question without spoiling the last few chapters of this story;;

**chaoticme****:** you updated the other one?

**AN:** I thought everyone knew this? Yes, chaoticme, I updated my first story, although I could've worded my prologue better, there's still a lot of drama and twist in that one.

**lil.ramen.lover****:** I love that Sakura can piss him off

**AN:** Amen.

**freedec12****: **I sense a conspiracy here...Sakura isn't just a normal technician is she??

**AN: **Freedec, have I ever told you how clever you are? If I've failed to mention it, here it is. You are bloody wily and clever. To answer your question, no, Sakura isn't your average technician. There's more to it for her. The future chapters should reveal Sakura's identity


	6. Chapter: 5

**Title: **The Misguided Fool

**Foreshadow:** _"Tomoyo, all I said was—"_

_"All you said was that I'm nuts." She planted both hands firmly on her hips and glared at Li._

_"No, that is not what I said. I said we've been over this museum and the guards have been over it, and none of us has found a thing out of order. So—"_

_"So, I'm nuts."_

**Chapter: **5…An inside view

* * *

_**:Chapter 5:**_

Syaoran sat rubbing his thumb by his temple, suddenly knowing that _she _was bound to walk through the doors and advance to him in his office. Only a few days of her and he felt his insanity reaching at its peak. She was pushing all of his buttons and getting the aimed results from him, the conniving bitch.

It felt just yesterday when he came to the odd conclusion that she was just an honest girl. He could replay their conversation like it had happened a moment ago…

"_How fast can you run?"_

_He blinked. "What?"_

_Sakura smiled and repeated herself, "Run. The mile, for instance. How fast can run the mile?"_

_Good lord, what the hell is this girl talking about? __Syaoran managed out after thought, "The average, I suppose."_

_Then to his surprise, a devious little smile evoked itself in her annoying pretty little face and made him extremely nervous. "That's good."_

_Warily he ask, "Why's that good?"_

_Sakura's grin stretched wider across her face, "I was provincial champ in university."_

_Syaoran wasn't vain enough to instantly assume that Kinomoto had in mind a sexual pursuit—but he couldn't think of any other reason why she'd be comparing their running abilities. _

"_Are we going to be running somewhere?" he asked._

"_That," she said, "depends on you."_

_He crossed his arms over his chest and gazed down at her with what he hopped was an unreadable expression. His curiorist had gotten him into trouble in the past, but he was sure he could handle this diminutive blonde. "Kinomoto, are you implying that you'd like to mix business with pleasure?"_

"_Oh, no, I'd much rather keep the two separate. My business hours—like the museum's—are eight to seven. During those hours I fully intend to work. But that leaves a lot of time—and I fully intend to work. But that leaves a lot of time—and I understand Tokyo and Seoul promises a wonderful nightlife. I don't need much sleep, do you?"_

_As he gazed at her vivid face and bright eyes, Syaoran had the sudden wary feeling that there was an underlying guile in her voice or manner that he was missing, and that his instincts were trying to warn him to look beneath the surface. But what she was saying kept getting in the way._

"_Somehow, I don't think we'd suit each other," he said finally._

"_Why?" she drawled. "Because I'm not five foot-nine and sleek? You should widen your horizons, to say nothing of your standards."_

_In a voice that had more than once been termed dangerous, Syaoran said, "I'm going to strangle Tomoyo."_

"_Oh, don't blame her—she wasn't the first person who told me about your obsession with Barbie dolls. That's the worst kept secret in the city—especially since you change them as often as you change your socks."_

_He realized his teeth were gritted only because his jaw began to ache. He didn't like feeling on the defensive; it was an unusual and very uncomfortable sensation. Consciously relaxing taut muscles, he said, "Well, we all have our preferences, don't we?"_

"_That's put me in my place," she said, not noticeably discouraged by it. "Most women would view that as a rejection. Too bad I'm not most women—and I really do think you owe it to yourself to at least give me a try."_

"_Why?" he demanded bluntly. He could've sworn there was a fleeting gleam of laughter in her cat's eyes, but her slightly drawling voice remained almost insultingly dispassionate,_

"_Because a steady diet in __**anything **__is going to be awfully bland eventually. If it must be women, the least you can do is broaden the range a bit to include those of us who aren't tall even on a stepladder and who don't have blue eyes—which is becoming very common, by the way._

_Why not spice up your life a little? I can guarantee you won't be bored."_

_Before he could stop himself, Syaoran retorted, "That's not what I'm worried about."_

_A little laugh escaped her. "Afraid I'll cling and be demanding? Happily ever after and a white picket fence? Well, I don't cling, and I tend to ask rather than demand. I could hardly drag you to the altar bound and gagged, now, could I? And since you're captain of your fate and master of your soul—to say nothing of being considereably larger than me—I imagine it wouldn't do me much to catch you. That is, unless you want to be caught."_

_Syaoran had another uneasy feeling, this time that his mouth was open. He was twenty four, which meant that his interest in females went back more than 11 years. If he'd wanted, he could've told some colorful stories; he was a scarred vetran of sexual wars. But this was a first for him._

x x x x x x x

Sakura also thought back to their first significant conversation, replaying it in her mind. Unknown to Li, she was as affected and drained by it as he was.

_After a few moments Sakura got up. She went to the door and closed it quietly. She leaned against it, gazing at nothing in particular, until a beep from the computer terminal drew her back to the desk._

_Returning to her chair, she removed the installation CD and replaced it with another. She typed a short command, and the computer began humming softly once again. _

_Her actions were automatic and unthinking ones of an expert in her field, and during most of the process she gazed absently toward the door. Finally, however, she leaned back in her chair and peered under the desk. _

"_Why didn't you come out and provide a little distraction?" she asked in a chiding tone. "It might've daved me from the consequences of my own insanity."_

"_Yaah," he companion answered in a voice so soft it was hardly a murmur, then he came out from under the desk to jump on top of it._

_The cat was an almost eerie feline replica of Sakura. It was very small and appeared delicate; its thick and rather wavy fur was the exact same shade of pale auburn as her hair; and its eyes were a vibrant green. Even the small face held the same vivid __**aliveness **__that was in Sakura's expression._

_Sakura eyed her cat reprovingly. "Don't tell me he scared you."_

_The cat began to wash a blond forepaw with studied disinterest._

"_Yeah, right," Sakura said. "Kero, you're almost as good a liar as I am." She frowned slightly. "He's a wolf, you're a cat, and I'm a flower. Doesn't that degrade me as the most fragile thing between us?"_

"_Yaah," Kero replied, sounding, as always, the way he looked—like a very small and very meek kitten rather than a full-grown cat who had turned six on his last birthday._

"_You're just saying that because you love to watch me walking a high wire without a net."_

_The cat lifted his chin and half closed eyes in an expression any cat lover would have recognized. Utter contentment._

"_Some bud you are," Sakura told him dryly. "It'd serves you right if we find out he's allergic. Then where will you be?" She listened to her cat purr a response and sighed._

_If the world wished to be kind to her, Syaoran would indeed have an allergy to cats—which would effectively keep him away from her. The problem was, she didn't have much faith in the kindness of the world. Not this time. _

_The world tended not to be kind to liars._

Sighing again at the memory she almost laughed as she realized, Syaoran had indeed proved to be comfortable—if that were the right words to use—around Kero. Although she had originally planned to drag Syaoran into another of her plans, it was proving to be difficult with him disappearing every minute.

With spending all her lunch time chasing after him, Sakura had given up and was a but late in leaving the museum, mostly because she'd wanted to finish loading the operating system so she'd be ready for the other programs first thing next morning. As a result, she locked the door of the computer room at quarter past seven and found one of the security guards waiting for her at the front door.

"The boss said to wait and let you out," the man said.

Sakura paused to regard him thoughtfully. "Which boss?"

"Ma'am?"

"I'm trying to figure out who runs things around here. So, which boss told you to wait for me?"

"Oh. Well—Mr. Li. He's in charge of security."

Sakura found this response interesting. Technically, Li was not, in fact in charge of security for the _museum_—only the exhibit. Which wasn't even in place yet. However, it was natural he would be concerned with the museum's security, since the building would house the mock exhibit, testing the thieves limits, before the real thing at Seoul.

What Sakura found interesting was the fact that the guards—and not just this man since she'd ask a half dozen others as well—really did consider Li's words law. Which meant that in an emergency it would be Li the guards would look to, no matter who else was present.

Thoughtful, she nodded to the guard and passed through the door when he opened it for her.

She headed out home for a restless night of sleep.

x x x x x x x

Tomoyo preened into the street to catch a better look of the man, feeling a certain familiarity with him, not knowing from where.

He was dressed all in black obviously bent on thievery, his movements jerky and tense as if he had come to test a certain theory and was shocked with outcome of her presence, yet he did nothing to stop her from coming closer to him, destroying the safe distance that separated them.

"Who are you?"

Bowing with mock courtesy, the man disappeared back into the shadows of the night, leaving her in a moment of stunned silence. "Wha—"

x x x x x x x

The next morning, Li tried to keep his hiding to the minimum, thinking as to how his senses were telling him to avoid the certain technician before he blew another fuse.

Instincts that he relied on for his short 6 years of his career, told him to hide; and no matter how much it had damaged his pride to do so, he had followed his instincts.

Something was up when one of the guards had come from _her _office searching through the museum for him. To say the sirens and warning bells gave way in his mind would be an understatement. He felt an immense wave of crashing suspicion.

As far as he knew, she had wanted to keep a fair distance between them.

Then again, he could be wrong about that as well.

Damn that woman! She had been etching at his side for the utmost time, without even being around him.

Then a certain, unwanted memory of their late encounter came to mind, forming a grim expression across his face.

"_Nice car," Sakura said when she reached the driveway. "But why is it that men drive either trucks or sports cars?"_

"_Eriol drives an Audi," he said, because it was the first thing that came to mind._

"_Audis don't count; they're not cars but works of art. And, anyways, I was asking you personally. So why are you driving something that looks like it belongs in a cage?_"

_Li had spent quite a bit of time reasoning with himself during the past couple of hours, coming to the conclusion that Sakura Kinomoto was not only __**not **__his type, she was also virtually guaranteed to make his life far more difficult than it needed to be. He had, therefore, very calmly and rationally decided that he was not going to let her get to him during this, their first and last date._

_But when he heard that drawling voice laced with mockery and looked into that small, vivid face, he could feel the irritated fascination creeping over him again._

_He didn't like the feeling one bit—but he couldn't seem to control it._

He remembered how every single time he had stricken a normal small chat with her, she had a certain power over him, and that familiar feeling overrode him, every **bloody** time.

"Are you thinking about me?" A head peaked through his office door, knocking him from his chair out of shock.

"What the hell was that for, Kinomoto?"

Pushing the rest of the door aside, smiling like a Cheshire cat, she entered the room ignoring his first comment. "You know, I've had the slightest suspicion that you have been avoiding me since yesterday." Then crossing the short distance between them, she sat herself onto the edge of his desk. "Why is that?"

Refusing to meet her eye, Li fumbled with his paper, the engine in his head tossing and turning for the right excuse to leave the room with enough dignity to spare. "Uh…"

_Nice one, Syaoran, _he mentally kicked himself._ That will definitely excuse us._

Swallowing up the bubbling mirth, Sakura leaned slightly back, her back arched inwardly, hands steady against the wedge. "You know, I needed you're help in something yesterday but, today is as good as any. Seeing you have nothing to do since I personally saw to it Takashi take over most of your rounds with Tomoyo's permission."

Already, Syaoran did not like the direction this conversation was taking, and the look of her face, did not stop a certain feeling from becoming aroused. "What is it now, Kinomoto?"

x x x x x x x

"I never do anything like this."

Sakura smiled tightly, "I know."

"You do?" Syaoran asked confused.

"Yes, you kept repeating that over and over all the way: I never do anything like this...I NEVER do anything like this...I never do ANYTHING like this..."

"I'm glad you see my point then." Syaoran growled. "Because there is no way you can talk me into doing this. Not unless Kevin prances into my office and sings me a song by Britney Spears!"

Sakura was stunned by the challenge.

Satisfied at the lack of response from the girl, he walked back into his office to take the rest of the break and have a peace relaxing time—time that didn't involve a certain technician.

Only, as he left the room, he did not see the calculative look Sakura had on, his back towards her. Just as the doors closed behind him, she whispered softly to her self, "What a challenge that will be? Now, where can I find Kevin…"

Pressing her pager to Kevin, she smiled as she heard the young new guard answer eagerly for a new task. "Yes, Ms. Kinomoto?"

"Ah, Kevin, are you free for this morning?"

x x x x x x x

Not before the strike of twelve he barged into her room the door rammed to her wall, red faced and indignant.

"How the hell did you do it?!"

Sakura did not have to look up from her computer screen to identify her bruteful intruder.

"Hello, Syaoran." She answered cheerfully, "Did you enjoy the show?"

He slammed his powerful hands to her desk, hoping to startle her from her mutual state. "How? Kevin is the shyest man in the entire city, let alone museum—he would rather die than dress up in that ridiculous clown costume and dance a beat of Britany Spears—especially in front of me, of all people; that young bastards scared shitless of me!"

Sakura giggled, "Oh, I must've handed him the wrong bag. But really, Li, he's only 3 years your junior. Ok…Now, seeing that I've held up my end of the deal, I'm sure you will as well."

Syaoran stopped. "Damn."

"Oh, please, it isn't that hard of a task, you're a man, aren't you?"

"The exact reason why I can't—"

"Plenty of men can do it," Sakura reasoned.

"Then get those gay bastards to do it."

x x x x x x x

Tomoyo wondered through the museum dazed from the previous night's experience when a conversation between the guards caught her attention.

"Mr. Hiiragizawa ought to put _her_ in one of the display cases. Talk about an eye-popping show."

Tomoyo stopped in her tracks to lift an eyebrow at a sudden flustered workman. "Voices carry in museums," she said gently. "You might want to keep that in mind."

"Yeah. I mean—yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am. No offense meant."

"None taken, Mr. Wang. It's always been my ambition to be a museum display."

He cleared his throat. "Priceless things—that's all I meant. Works of art." He eyed her, then sighed. "I'm not going to win, am I?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"I'm a sexist pig."

"Pretty much."

"Objectifying women."

"This woman anyway. Yes, I'd say that was what you were doing."

"I apologize, Mrs. Hiiragizawa."

Perfectly aware that the oterh guards near enough to overhear this exchange were hiding grins, Tomoyo knew when it was time to let her prey off the hook on which he'd impaled himself.

Similing a sweet smile, she patted his shoulder, "Apology accepted. Have a nice day."

"Yes, ma'am. You too."

Tomoyo strolled away, knowing that laughter would erupt the moment she was out of sight.

Which it did.

She sighed.

Her measurements had been causing her problems since her twelfth birthday, so by now she should've been at least somewhat accustomed to it.

She wasn't…

There were men who admitted that long, shapely female legs inspited amorous fantasies; there were those who had the same basic response to rich curves of swaying hips. But men whose primitive instincts were aroused by an ample bust, which Tomoyo had found, undoubtedly outnumbered the rest.

At any rate, her centerfold measurements had caused her more trouble than joy. A lot more. Her dates during high school and university had been so entranced by her charms, she often wondered if they knew what her face looked life. Even the Tokyo scholar she'd briefly gone out with—hoping his mind was on a higher plane—had stuttered dreadfully whenever his gaze strayed to her chest..

Which was often.

And that explained one reason why Eriol had won her intense and total loyalty. He had, to be sure, gulped visibly when she'd first walked into his office, but he had also conducted the hour-long interview without allowing his gaze to stray to her chest—and without making her feel it required all his concentration to avoid staring.

And sinve that time, he had managed not only to make her feel completely comfortable in his presence but had even responded with genuine sympathy when a particularly degrading experience with a date had caused her to unburden herself in an explosive temper.

She loved Eriol plentiful. He was one of the very few male friends she'd ever had, and she was delighted by the knowledge that, while he was no less appreciative of nature's bounty than the next man, his awareness and interest were detached rather than hormonal.

He also had an unerring eye for style and color. When he told her she looked good in something, she knew it was the truth. He'd said once that she was a queenly woman, the observation made in an assessing rather than complimentary tone, and Tomoyo had, quite unconsciously, begun walking without the slump she had just as unconsciously adopted in her teens.

In a short few months, he had very quietly and gently and unobstrusively eradicated both her bitterness and the chip on her shoulder.

Thanks to him, she was as proud of her body as was of her mind.

Well, nearly.

Which wasn't to say it no longer caused her problems. In fact, masculine appreciation of her measurements was, indirectly, to blame for a predicament that was destined to occupy her for quite some time.

But on this mild Monday afternoon, Tomoyo was blessedly unaware of the storm clouds building up on her own personal horizon. As the directorof the forthcoming exhibit, her mind was entirely focused on business.

"You're frowning," Li noted when they bumped into each other in the lobby.

"I'm not surprised. Do you believe in intuition, Li?" she asked.

"I've been known to get a hunch now and then. Why? Are you feeling intuitive?"

"Yeah. At least—I guess that's what it is. There's something out of focus, Li. Something not right."

"With the preparations for the exhibit?"

"I don't know. Maybe." She sighed. "Mythos, I hate it when I get one of these feelings. Its like I saw something out of the corner of my eye, you know? Something I didn't look at as closely as I should've."

Li nodded. "Year, I've been there. But you know as well as I do that it's preyyr much impossinle to guard against threat when all you've got to go on is a feeling. We're doing everything we can to protect the collection."

"Maybe not everything. Would pulling up the drawbridge and flooding the moat be out of order?"

"Well, it might make things a bit difficult for visitors."

Tomoyo hugged her ever-present clipboard and rested her chin on the top, matching his gravity when she said, "Yearh, but do we really need visitors? They come, they gawk—bug deal."

Smiling a little from his previous grim state, Li said, "You really are bothered, aren't you?"

"Maybe just a little bit?"

"But there's nothing here yet to steal, remember? I mean, none of the collection. All those nice display cases the workmen are building are going to be empty for days yet."

"I know, I know."

"But?"

"But…something is wrong." Tomoyo shook her head with a slight grimace. "The place just doesn't _feel_ right. I did a walk through a little while ago and I could've sworn I was being watched."

Li eyed her, a little amused. "Well, you usually are."

Tomoyo smacked his arm lightly, "No, not that way." She was intent on making sense of her own feelings and hunches. _"Watched_. Almost…I was going to say _stalked_, but I don't mean it in the modern way, with some hald-crazed guy who thinks he's in love with me dogging my every step._"_

"How do you mean it then?"

"More of a…predatory thing. As if I was being tracked, shadowed, my strengths and weaknesses sized up."

Li's eyebrows rose, but more in surprise than in disbeliev. "That's a pretty primitive image. And a very specific threat to feel intuitively."

"I know. That's why it's creeping me out, big time."

* * *

**AN**: I can't help but say I was amused with some of the reviews I've recieved for the previous chapter.

**maleesha**: i love it.. theif? is sakura a theiif? oh pleAse update!

**ya.tryme** : And, the Tomoyo scene, is there something significant about it?

**AN**: Actually, if you happened to read my story more than once, you'll see how there are these little insignificant looking hints that leads you to a certain tone of this story that gives away plenty of hints.

**proud2Bscot**: What's with Tomoyo and the mystery man?

**AN**: You probably have guessed it by now, mystery man scene is when Tomoyo meets our main thief of the story.

**proud2Bscot**: lol. You always leave me guessing at every chapter, amber.

**AN**: I'm glad that I can leave plenty of readers guessing what fun would it be if you knew the ending right away?

**Mrs**. **Radcliffe** **13**: Sakura's personality does not seem consistent, which may be due to the fact that she's a double agent. Who knows...besides you...

**AN**: Another reflective reader—I'm flattered that you would notice these details yes, Sakura's char. Isn't exactly consistent. After all, she is undercover. But for what and why I won't say.

**freedec12**: Superb chapter...The collection was beautifully explained... So exciting...  
Trust you to keep me guessing all the time...ha ha

**AN**: Ty, I adore receiving praises, and yours have left me to write this chapter as soon as possible. I would've thought since it's been so long since I lasted touched this story it would be a jumble of inconsistent things, but I actually managed to organized this story into non-crap enjoyment. I'm glad you enjoy this story.

Now, I wonder how you question with this chapter?


	7. Chapter: 6

**Title: **The Misguided Fool

**Foreshadow : **I think you've sufficiently embarrassed them. Now, could you please concentrate on flagging down that nice waitress and ordering?" Eriol stated casually.

Tomoyo grinned and nodded, "Of course, Eriol."

**Chapter: **6…Paranoia

* * *

_**:Chapter 6:**_

It was Tomoyo's habit to be at the museum very early each morning, long before it was open for business, and the next morning was no exception. Also as usual, the first thing she did was to conduct her own sweep of the building.

I wasn't that she didn't trust the guards—it was just that she trusted her own eyes and other senses more.

After all the weeks of preparation for the exhibit, she was very familiar with the cavernous halls and labyrinthine corridors of the museum. So much, in fact, that she probably could've found her way through without the need of a flashlight: not an easy task considering the sheer size and complexity of the building.

Until very recently, she'd never felt uneasy being alone in any area of the museum. But as her heels clicked against the polished marble floors, she once again had the oddest feeling that she wasn't as alone as she should've been.

Tomoyo stopped several times, gazing around her with a frown, but no one was there.

She was sure no one was there.

"Tomoyo, you're losing it," she muttered finally.

Since this was a museum of historical art, it wasn't nearly as creepy as some she'd walked in. Though the statuary did occasionally send shivers down her spine.

More than once there, Tomoyo caught herself frowning uneasily at a manlike figure in a dim corner that she only belatedly recognized as some artist's work in marble and bronze.

"Defiantly losing it." The sound of her own voice startled her somewhat, and Tomoyo quickened her steps, even though she kept searching for whatever was bothering her.

And found absolutely nothing.

Or at least found nothing that looked like anything.

"I don't even know what I'm looking for," she admitted half under her breath.

But as she turned to retrace her steps, Tomoyo's uneasiness intensified. The place still didn't feel right to her. She tried to focus on what she was feeling, but it was vague and unformed: just anxiety and an odd sense of apprehension.

Tomoyo stopped at the entrance of the wing and looked back down the echoing corridors. A little laugh escaped her, "We're about to bring a priceless collection of art treasures into this place," she reminded herself. _"Of course_ I'm uneasy about it. That's all. That's all it is._"_

With those reassuring words, she turned and headed back for the lobby, her heels once more clicking briskly against the marble floor. The sounds were fading away when, in a dim corner Tomoyo had passed by twice, one of those manlike figures stirred and stepped out of the shadows.

He stood gazing after Tomoyo for several moments, then turned and headed deeper into the museum, his movements utterly silent and almost feline in their fluid grace.

If anybody had been there to hear, they wouldn't have heard a footstep. But they would have heard a soft, amused chuckle.

x x x x x x x

"Tomoyo, all I said was—"

"All you said was that I'm nuts." She planted both hands firmly on her hips and glared at Li.

"No, that is not what I said. I said we've been over this museum and the guards have been over it, and none of us has found a thing out of order. So—"

"So, I'm nuts."

Reining in his own considerable temper, Li silently counted to four, too impatient to make it to ten. "Look, I appreciate that you're worried; I'm worried too. But until the new security system is up and running, there really isn't much more than we can do."

"We can padlock and bar some of the damned doors and make everybody use the main entrance here," she suggested.

"You know well, some of the rear doors have to be used."

"But!"

"The safety code, Tomoyo. We can't block doors that could be necessary exits in an emergency. With only the wing set to house the exhibit closed to the public and the rest of the museum open, we have hundreds of people in and out of the building every day; we have to make certain they could get out in a hurry if they had to."

"Shit," she muttered. "I knew we should've put in a moat. I just knew it."

Syaoran laughed, "All I can do is lean on the technician to step things up a bit and get the new system on line ahead of schedule. Until we have a better way to monitor the comings and goings around here, we're stuck with the current system. You know that, Tomoyo."

She knew that. But she didn't have to like it.

Determined to get the last word, she said, "Fine. But in the future, when we recall this moment—and we will—just remember that it was me warning you, okay?"

"On this day, Tomoyo warned me she had a bad feeling. Noted."

"Smartass."

He grinned at her, and then strode off toward the offices, probably to deal with more of Kinomoto.

Tomoyo stayed behind, absently watching visitors come and go. It was turning into a busy day, and there were a dozen things she should have been doing. Instead, she was fretting and worrying and annoying Li.

And all because she felt…What?

There was something wrong. Just…wrong.

Still, Li had been right when he pointed out that the collection wasn't even in the building yet and wouldn't be for days. So there was time to fix whatever was wrong. Time to make sure the exhibit into a regular Fort Knox.

There was plenty of time.

So…why did she have the oddest sensation of time ticking away? Why was she sure they didn't have nearly as much time as they thought?

x x x x x x x

"I can't believe this." Syaoran repeated for the forth time this minute, "Why the hell am I letting this woman push me around so freely?"

Just then, on cue, Sakura called out to him with his second task, "Oh, and get Kero from the ceiling would you? My neighbor's coming to watch him for the day."

"What?" Dazed, he pushed his head backward to look up at the ceiling. There he saw the large hole in one of the Styrofoam block ceiling where a pair of mischievous green eyes met his outraged amber.

"How the hell did you get up there?!"

As if to answer him, Kero let out a meow which Syaoran translated as _Just get me down from here if you can, kid._

"I was fixing up one of the wirings in this room but found out that a rookie installed it up the ceiling and needed some rewiring. I guess while I was working Kero decided to take a nap at up there."

"Of all the places to take a nap," Syaoran grumbled. He searched the room for the ladder responsible and carried it just under the cat. Climbing it, Syaoran glared at Kero, "Lets get this straight. I owe your master a few and you want down. To make things easier your going to let me grab you and fling you down to safe grounds. Cats _can_ land on their feet right?"

"Yarr"

"I'll take that as a yes. Now—" Syaoran reached out from the gap in the ceiling feeling Kero's soft coat around his hands, thoughtlessly grabbed him, finding out that he had grabbed its stubby short tail by accident, too late.

"Ouch!" Syaoran cried when the feline jumped from the gap to his arm and scratched his cheek. Out of shock at the sudden attack, Syaoran fell onto the floor face-front and Kero jumped, landing on top of his butt, facing the heavens.

Sakura smiled at the picture when she returned into the room.

Deciding that she had too much work that needed done to avoid a direct confrontation with Li, she snuck out of the room just before he noticted her.

"Damn it." Syaoran raised him self from the floor. "I bet your master planned this to happen, somehow I just know it."

"Yarr?" Kero tilted his head to one side as if to say, _how's that kid?_

Syaoran seeing the mock look upon the feline's face replied, "I just do. She can plan stuff like this any time; look what he did to Kevin? The little bastard whose scared shitless of me performed a Brittany Spear original like he was asking for it. She's probably manipulative all the time."

Another look at the feline's face told him he wasn't buying it. "Its true! And if that's not enough there's that _captain of the debate team_ alibi of hers. I can't imagine living with her 24/7 like you, maybe you decided you needed a break from her, too?"

Sakura smiled as she leaned against the outside door listening to Li talking with her cat, trying to convince himself that her company was just as horrible for her feline companion as it was for him, if not worse.

"Sakura?" Sakura turned seeing Tao acting very peculiarly. "Tao what's wrong—"

"Sakura darling girl!" Sakura's neighbor jumped from behind Tao and embraced her in a bear hug causing a commotion with her loudly amplifying voice oddly wavering from a soprano to a baritone. _Ah,_ Sakura thought, realizing the cause of Tao's awkwardness.

"Mrs. Joagsteirn." She managed from the older woman's impossibly deathly embrace. "Thank you…for…c-coming."

"Oh, its nothing dear." The woman answered releasing Sakura, "now where is the little deary?"

"He's in the other room with my colleague, I'll go get them." Sakura knocked on the door, "Li?"

Syaoran curiously opened the door after hearing the commotion outside the hall, answering Sakura's knock. "Ya?"

Immediately, Kero tightened his grip around Syaoran. "Hey, what are you—"

"Oh-h, the dear little thing, Mr. Kero!"

Syaoran looked up seeing a pair of chubby hands holding onto the sides of Kero, pulling him from his arms. What he saw did bring him true pity to the small creature.

A beastly looking woman dressed up in bright neon pink was cooed-ling and squashing the poor feline in her arms like a toddler would with its first plush-toy.

_Oh…No wonder the cat ran away… _Syaoran and Tao both thought as they looked over at the _energetic_ woman.

"Well then," the woman smiled at Sakura while Li could've sworn the cat was throwing him desperate look for help his way, "I'll be off with Mr. Kero for the day and drop him off when you get home."

He winced as he saw the cat squirming in the powerful grip of large hands. "We'll have sooo much fun today, won't we?"

For once in his life, Li was grateful that he only needed to endure Kinomoto.

x x x x x x x

By the time her day's work was finished and she was ready to leave the museum on Thursday night, Tomoyo convinced herself that her uneasiness was no more than a natural worry magnified by the ever-approaching arrival of the collection.

But that didn't stop her from conducting one last sweep of the building herself before leaving for the day. "I hope this doesn't become a habit of mine, because 2 months is too long."

For no reason she could've explained to herself, she exchanged her heels for the track shoes she kept handy in a drawer of her desk, and this time her steps through the polished marble halls were virtually silent. (: don't we all keep sneakers handy? nudges readers)

And this time, with her flashlight, she peered into every dim corner, behind and around every pedestal and display case.

She found nothing. Absolutely nothing that wasn't suppose to be exactly where it was.

Tomoyo hated admitting even to herself that she'd hoped to find something, some evidence to explain her paranoia.

Not that she'd the slightest idea what that might've been,_ but still_.

"All clear, Mrs. Hiiragizawa?"

She turned the flashlight to the guard and smiled ruefully, "As far as I can tell, everything's fine. Thanks for humoring me, Kai."

Seriously, he replied, "Knowing what's coming into this place in a few weeks, I don't blame you a bit for being careful. Oh—and Mr. Hiiragizawa called a little while ago and asked me to tell you that he's putting on a few more guards for the second and third shifts, starting tonight."

So her hubby had listened to her worries more seriously than he had led her to believe. She wasn't sure whether that reassured her or only added to her anxiety.

Tomoyo nodded. "Thanks again, Kai. See you tomorrow night."

"Have a nice evening, Mrs. H."

As she left the building and headed for her car, Tomoyo told herself that was just what she was going to have: a _nice_ evening.

The appointment date for tonight had been pushed to Monday, but after the tension of the day she was glad for it. What she needed was to curl up with a good book or a good old matchmaking in her workplace area, preferably in the _technical area_ and stop thinking about the exhibit.

At least, for tonight.

Still, she paused with her hands on the car's door to look back—

* * *

**AN:** I so love reviews from familiar readers like freedec.

**freedec12****: **By the way is Sakura getting closer to Syaoran unintentionally?? Looks like she has quite an interesting past...(just my thoughts though)...

**AN:** if I said yes, that would make you the cleverest reader in this review slot, which really, is true. Hmm…but really, I can't answer that now.


	8. Chapter: 7

**Title: **The Misguided Fool

**Foreshadow : **_Tomoyo was more than careful to tread into the dark room. She wasn't _that _stupid. _

_Then again, she had managed to come to the other side of town to rescue the world in-famous thief just for the hell of it without any back-up or any ideas of where _they_ were headed._

_Now... where is that damn_—

**Chapter: **7…Enter the thief

**AN**: Please be _mindful_, Tomoyo's ending from the last chapter is cut off from this new update: The next chapter is the something most of you have been itching for, soo lets see if you all can handle _that_ suspense, then?

* * *

_**:Chapter 7:**_

"Hey, I'm feeling a little hungry," Sakura said.

Li tried to ignore her from his previous humiliation and childishly turned the other way watching Tomoyo direct a couple of the guards the coordination's for the night watch. "Go eat."

"Great idea; let's go take that lunch break that we are entitled to every work days."

"No."

Sakura smiled a pleasant smile and casually leaned to Li's side and whispered into his ear "If you don't take me to that diner across the street, I will tell Tomoyo what I had you do this morning."

Li gulped feeling Tomoyo's eyes on his back obviously anticipating on the reason for their closeness.

"I hate you."

"I love you, too."

x x x x x x x

Watching Li grimly to his car, Sakura went back into thougth.

She was a resourceful woman, and managed to find out quite a lot, certainly more than Li realized regardless of the fact she wasn't granted much time to check out the situation in Tokyo before she arrived.

A habit since she'd gotten her orders on fairly short notice.

She'd been more interested in checking Li out, since he was head of security. She found out that the two of them had some things in common—and a **sheer** _number of differences_.

Li was based in Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York; the only place she'd live for more than a few weeks at a time during the past 5 years was Venice. They were both accustomed to living out of a suitcase.

Li had a thing about blondes, too. That was true enough, and she'd goaded him about it—but she hadn't mentioned one very important point about his seeing fixation.

All the blondes he'd dated—for want of a better word—from New York to Tokyo were in some way involved with foundations, trusts, charities, art societies, museums, or private collections of artworks, gems, and other valuables.

_Smart man_, she had realized with an inner salute of respect when that pattern became apparent to her.

_HE _was mixing business and pleasure quite effectively, enjoying the company of his blondes while he picked their brains.

In the past months he'd been in and out of Tokyo and, particularly in recent weeks when he'd been living here, he had undoubtedly gathered an impressive amount of intelligence about the close-knit art world in this city—to say nothing of having fun while he did it.

Sakura respected that, and she didn't consider it a cold-blooded thing for him to do. _She_ had once or twice dated a man purely because he could tell her something she wanted to know, so why couldn't Li? (Even though he did take matter to extremes.)

He was a very attractive man—and obviously one with a strong sex drive—who simply looked for his women where their knowledge could help him do his job more efficiently.

Fact, she didn't doubt that by now Li had reminded himself of her computer expertise and had come to the conclusion that he might gain some useful information from her even if the first date ended up being the only one.

That also didn't bother Sakura; he wasn't likely to waste his charm on her, considering the friction between them, so she didn't want him to know.

Even assuming there was more than this first date, of course, which there probably wouldn't be.

_Shouldn't_ _be_.

This was not a good time for her to lose her head. And Li, she was certain, was not the kind of man a woman should ever, _ever_, lose her head over.

x x x x x x x

"You're frowning," Sakura said as she slipped into her chair on the other side of the table.

He looked at her, one brow lifting. "You're imagining things," he told her.

"I'm a logical woman, remember? I don't _imagine_ things that aren't there." Before Li could respond to that, she was going on in the same lazy voice. "I ran into another one of your Barbie dolls in the women's washroom."

"What?" It was the last things he'd expected, and it effectively took his mind off whether she was being honest with him.

Still smiling, Sakura turned her head a bit and nodded across the room. "That one, at the cozy little table by the window. She was very friendly—told me that you liked your drink with ice, and your women wearing nothing at all."

Syaoran turned his head cautiously and immediately spotted Meiling's old friend, Teresa Lowing.

She was with a bored-looking dark man who didn't appear interested even when Teresa smiled across the room at Li and wiggled her fingers at him.

He nodded to her, and then turned back to Sakura who seemed highly amused. He cleared his throat. "Teresa isn't a Barbie doll, trust me on that. She's smart."

"She's also very interested in our exhibit," Sakura said. "And she knew who I was. Did you tell her I was the new computer technician?"

Li could feel a frown drawing his brows together. "No, I haven't talked to her in days."

"Interesting, huh? It's also interesting to find her here." Sakura sipped her shake and then shrugged. "Maybe a coincidence, but not a real likely one. Don't you think? I mean, this is a nice place and all—but I wouldn't guess it was her usual kind of haunt."

Sakura indicated to their middle class family diner, where the most expensive thing on the menu was the family special.

Syaoran knew he was still frowning, but he didn't comment on her obvious observation. Instead, he picked up his menu and lamely change the topic, "Why don't we order?"

Sakura didn't object, and she gave her order to her waitress a few minutes later. But it was obvious she had no intention of dropping the subject of Teresa's presence, because as soon as the waitress collected their menus and went away, she continued, "A party up on Richford Hill seems more like her usual habitat, I'd say. Am I right about that?"

"That's where she lives," Li admitted, picking up a breadstick and snapping it neatly in half.

There was a slight pause, and then Sakura said dryly, "At the moment, I'm less concerned about her interest in you than her interest in the exhibit."

Syaoran looked up quickly. "So am I."

Sakura chuckled, a warm, rich sound. "Ok, then stop resisting the subject. Since you and I are both involved in the security for the exhibit, and since I can adapt a computer program to guard against threats—if I know about them—maybe you'd better tell me the lady's story."

"I didn't say she was a threat," he protested.

One of Sakura's delicate eyebrows rose in an expression of mockery. "Let me guess. Chivalry? Once you sleep with a lady you never utter a word to mar her good name? Noted, for future reference."

Li could feel the ache in his jaw that told him his teeth were clamped together. It was becoming a familiar sensation. "I knew it was too good to last. You couldn't force yourself to go an hour without getting scornful about something, could you?"

The eyebrow remained up, and her lips curved to show even more of a taunt. "Certainly not—it's too much fun. You rise to the bait so wonderfully."

"Hasn't anyone warned you about fishing in dangerous waters? You're liable to catch something you can't handle."

"Promises, promises," Sakura murmured, then laughed when his frown deepened. "Oh, stop scowling, Li. I won't ask personal questions about—what was her name? Teresa? It's none of my business, at least not at the moment."

He eyed her. "Not at the moment?"

"You never know when something like that could change." Before he could respond to her gentle statement, Sakura was going on briskly, "All I want to know is whatever you can tell me about her interests in the Troy collection—which you and I are both responsible for protecting."

Syaoran hesitated, but it was a legitimate subject for her to rise—especially if Teresa had gone to the point of introducing herself in the women's washroom, and if she did indeed know that Sakura was the computer technician at the museum.

"She knew who you were? No kidding?" he asked.

"No kidding. And she didn't just know that I was installing the computer security system—she knew my name. That's the part that sets off bells. How could she know my name, Li? You didn't. Nobody at the museum did, until I got there. And even my boss at Haste wasn't sure I'd be able to make the job such short notice. I packed in a hurry and came over from Venice, so it's not like there was a lot of time for anyone to find out very much about me."

Li sent a quick glance across the room, finding Teresa and her companion eating their meal and apparently having a casual discussion. "I don't know." He looked back to Sakura, feeling a bit unsettled to realize that her brilliant eyes were graver than he'd yet seen them.

Sakura shrugged a little, her gaze still locked with his. "Since I like to know what my security programs are supposed to be protecting, my boss filled me in. I had already heard about this Troy collection. I've seen all the pictures from the last time it was exhibit. When was that—more than fifty years ago?"

"About that," Li agreed. "My family company insures the collection—which is why I'm here. You know that."

Sakura nodded. "You're their top security expert. That's one reason Eriol Hiiragizawa asked for you. Another reason, I imagine, is because he knew very well he could trust you—since you are cousins."

It was Syaoran's turn to nod. He wasn't very surprised that she knew about the relationship; he knew she'd talked to Tomoyo, and Tomoyo was aware the relations.

He didn't speak immediately, leaning back to allow the waitress to place his plate on the table. When she'd served Sakura's plate and gone, he said, "That's right. Is it important?"

"That you're his cousin?" Sakura shrugged again, poking at her order of poutine absentmindedly. "Probably not, but it never hurts to know these things. Is Teresa aware of the relationship?"

Li hesitated. "I don't think so. She's never mentioned it, at any rate."

Sakura picked up a breadstick and nibbled on it for a moment, her eyes abstracted, then shrugged again. "I don't think it really matter whether she knows you two are related. But as far as I can tell, she runs in the same circle as Hiiragizawa, and she's pretty blunt about her interest in all of us, right?"

"She's tried to persuade Eriol to let her see the collection," Li said.

Sakura waited for a moment, and then smiled at a thought—knowing fully better. "And what did she try to persuade you to do?"

The dry tone made Syaoran feel uncomfortable, even though he'd been perfectly aware of Teresa's aim from the first time they had shared drinks. Evenly, he replied, "To let her see the collection before the exhibit opens to the public."

"I gather you resisted her blandishments," Sakura said in a solemn voice.

"That better not be a question," he growled.

Sakura's unexpectedly sweet smile lit up her face, catching Li off guard, even for just a split second. "Perish the thought. Would I cast aspersions on your honesty?"

"Probably."

She chuckled. "Well, I won't." Sakura picked up her fork and dug in her deliciously fattening large portion of fries gravy and cheese. "Since your lady friend had been so open about her wishes, I doubt she's a threat to the security of the collection."

"Neither can I."

"Still, I want to know how she knew about me, although I wasn't exactly a secret—but knowing my name is entirely different."

Li silently agreed. The problem was, he could only think of one way she might've gained the knowledge: _Haste Security..._ Haste's previous computer tech. had done a bloody good job screwing up weeks of work, even if it had been accidental.

So what if there was a second strike against Haste? What is Teresa had bribed or persuaded an insider to provide her with information? _And if that's the_ _case_, Syaoran thought, _what is she really up to? Is she a genuine threat to the collection?_

Sakura seemed to be following his thoughts with uncanny accuracy. "Does she know anything about computers?" she asked, a glance across the room making it obvious who she was referring to.

"I'm not sure—but I'd have to guess yes. She's known to have an outstanding business mind, so it's likely she has experience with computers." He looked across the table to find Sakura watching him with something in her eyes he hadn't seen before.

_There's a shadow there_, he thought. _A_ _secret_

"Want to set a trap?" she asked casually.

Stunned for a second Li retorted, "Why the _hell_ would I want to do that? Risking the collection is stupid—not to mention the opposite of my job."

Sakura smiled slightly. "I guess so—but it's always better to take a risk when you can have more control. According to what I read in today's news, the city seems to be crawling with thieves right now. Chances are that some or all of them will target the _Troy Collection _a very nice target."

"Undoubtedly."

"Then why wait for them to come knocking at your door? Why not open the door just a bit? See who's can't resist the temptation to come in."

"What kind of trap do you have in mind?" Li asked finally.

"Well, after the change over, the museum's security will be state-of-the-art electronics. Now, since there's an independent power supply, which isn't accessible from the outside of the building, a thief's best bet would be to control the system with another computer."

"Only the problem is, our system is completely enclosed. There's no modem and no tie-in to the phone lines. So how could anyone outside gain access?"

Sakura hesitated, her eyes oddly still. Then she pushed her own plate away and leaned back. "You remember a few days ago when I was under the desk straightening out cables?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I found something else under there. Somebody had patched in a pretty handy connection to an old, unused phone line in that room. So I'd say that at least one thief is already unlocked the door to the system."

* * *

**Cheeseycraziness**: Did you deliberately cut it off then to annoy me? .

**AN**: (smiles knowingly) I'm glad it did do just that, Cheeseycraziness. I thought another cliff would keep up the suspenseful mood.

**HinataForever89**: First part of the story—that was that thief wasn't it?

**AN**: Very keen, HinataForever89. Actually, the first part of the story is a foreshadow to a future chapter.

**Chibi angelle**: GAHH CLIFFIE !! DIE.

**AN**: …I didn't know the ending affected people to such extremes. My sincere apologies, Chibi angelle. But because it is the summer and the updates will be very quick, there will be more Cliffies to look forward to.


	9. Chapter: 8

**AN: **If you were to visit my profile page, please vote for your top 2 characters you suspect the most as the mysterious thief. Be it Sakura, Li, Yue, Touya, etc... It is a blind poll so the results will be open at the finale of this story. I can't wait to see how my story steers your judgement.

**Title: **The Misguided Fool

**Foreshadow : **_What?!" Tomoyo was so enraged, her voice atually squeaked. "You don't think I'm going to just stand here and let you steal that?"_

_"No." He sighed. "No, I rather thought you'd have an objection." _

_And then he moved._

**Chapter: 8**...

* * *

_**:Previously in Chapter 6:**_

_The appointment date for tonight had been pushed to Monday, but after the tension of the day she was glad for it. What she needed was to curl up with a good book or a good old matchmaking in her workplace area, preferably in the technical area and stop thinking about the exhibit._

_At least, for tonight._

_Still, she paused with her hands on the car's door to look back—_

* * *

The building was well-lit after hours, and all the dangling banners proclaiming the forthcoming the mulit-million dollar _Troy Collection _exhibit were very visbile_. _

Very impressive.

Very tempting, to a thief.

Shaking off the thought, Tomoyo got into her car and headed for home, a little surprised to find that as she drove away from the museum, her anxiety lessened. In fact, but the time she got home, she was feeling her usual cheerful and optimistic self.

_Finally, I can think about the pairing between my favorite little wolf and the equally fiesty technician, _Tomoyo thought.

"Its good that Eriol is away in business for a while_—_now, I can spend some time getting those two together."

x x x x x x x

He waited untile the little car was out of his sight before he emreged from the shadows near the museum.

He gazed after it, and her, shaking his head unconsciously.

Logic told him she couldn't possibly be feeling or sensing his presence, as she seemed to be. His own honed senses told him _screw logics. _That was exactly what was happening, nevertheless.

Had he given himself away somehow?

Perhaps. Or perhaps her instincts and intutions were a lot better than he'd counted on/

Either way, he thought some readjustment of his plans was in order.

x x x x x x x

Tomoyo had buried herself in work in recent years, after Eriol's healing sorcery; she had begun, somewhat tentatively, _trusting_ _men_ again.

It was just bad luck, she told herself, that the young curator who had always treated her with grave respect turned to out to have a baser motives lurking under his innocent smiles.

He was perfectly charming during their dinner appointment, but afterwards asked if she would like to see his museum, and see the largest Egyptian exhibit, which wasn't scheduled to go on display for several days.

It wasn't exactly "_come up and sees my etchings_," but since she recognized the look along with the casual offer, it was enough to make her wary.

_I suppose this guy is oblivious to the fact that I'm married…_ Tomoyo thought with a frustrated sigh. _I even flaunted the ring casually a few dosen times to make my point._

Still, she wanted to see the exhibit; the hours she put in overseeing her own forthcoming exhibit she didn't have much time to make a visit during regular hours. Tomoyo was also confident in her ability to handle an enormous curator.

_There would be security guards, in any case. _

She turned her attention at her _date_ and saw him with a strange expression across his face. "That's funny," her date murmured as he used his key and let them in a side door.

"What? The security light in the hall should have been on—" Tomoyo knew, but her escort had never had the chance to finish his sentence.

They had taken no more than four steps in to the dark hallway when he suddenly let out a soft grunt and crumpled to the floor.

Tomoyo was never sure afterwards if she knew what had happened in that first instant or if, in the thick blackness surrounding her, pure survival instincts had taken over.

_Oh, shit._

She didn't reason that Peter's limp body had fallen between her and the door, preventing that exit; she simply whirled and bolted down the hallway.

After half a dozen steps she managed to kick her heels off without losing much speed, and her instantly quieter passage made it possible for her to hear the pursuing footsteps—fast and heavy, and all too close behind.

_What a nice way to spend your one break of the week: have dinner with a fellow curator and end up watching out for his perverted looks, getting stuck inside a museum and kick off in a good old chase. _

_Just fantastic…oh wait, there's more, _Tomoyo thought sarcastically. _There's a thing behind me chasing me in order to do God knows what!_

Taking a sharp turn quickly took the first hall of the three in front of her.

Fortunately for her, she had the advantage of knowing the museum well; like many archeologists, she considered the store houses of ancient treasures as alternate homes and tended to spend many of her hours losing her self in the past.

_That was what I want more than anything—lose myself in the past!_

She was making her way with all the speed that she could muster out of the warren of offices and storerooms and into the larger rooms of the museum.

There was a drawback to that action, but she had little choice.

Most of the exhibit were individually lighted, which would make her visible to her pursuer unless she could hide before he emerged from the hallway.

As she turned the final corner she could see the dim glow ahead. The first room she burst out into was a hall of paintings, which offering no place of concealment.

Barely feeling the cold, had marble beneath her feet, Tomoyo darted through one of the two big archways without immediately knowing why she made the choice.

Then she realized there had to be more than one of _them_ and _they'd_ be after the most portable valuables, wouldn't they?

Jewelry, then—and a large display of precious gems lay in the direction she hadn't chosen. Along her route several larger and less valuables—to the thieves—displays of sanctuary, weapons, and assorted artifacts, many large enough to offer a hiding place.

_Why? Why me?_

She made another desperate turn through an archway that appeared to house a room dimmer than some of the others—and found her self neatly caught.

A long arm that seemed made of iron rather than flesh, lifted her literally off her feet, clamped her arms to her side, hauled her back against a body that had all the softness of granite, and a big, dark hand covered her mouth before she could do more than gasp.

For one terrified instant, Tomoyo had the eerie thought that one of the darkly looming statues of fierce warriors from the past had reached out and grabbed her.

Then a low voice hissed in her ear, and the impression of the supernatural faded.

"Shhh…"

_He wasn't a security guard_, Tomoyo thought. The hand over her mouth was encased in a thin, supple black glove, and as much of his arm as she could see was also wearing black.

Several hard objects in the vicinity of his waist dug into her back painfully.

Then he pulled her impossibly closer as running footsteps approached, and she distinctively felt the roughness of wool—a ski mask?—as his hard jaw brushed against her temple.

She didn't struggle in the man's powerful embrace, although she couldn't have said just why.

Instead, she concentrated on controlling her ragged breathing so that it wouldn't be audibly, her eyes fixed on the archway of the room.

She realized only then that she'd bolted into a room with only 1 entrance.

Her captor had literally carried her back into a corner and in the shadows behind one of the fierce warrior statues, and she doubted they were visible from the doorway.

The footsteps in the hall slowed abruptively and she caught a glimpse of a rather menacing face further then distorted by an angry scowl as her pursuer looked into the room.

Tomoyo stiffened, but he went onwithout pausing more than briefly. As the footsteps faded, she began to struggle; the steely arm around her tightened with an additional strength that nearly cracked her ribs.

Three breathless seconds later, she realized why.

"Joe." The voice, low and harsh, was no more than a few feets down the hallway.

Tomyo grew very still.

There was an indistinguishable murmur of at least three voices out there, and then the first voice became audible—and definitely enraged.

"I thought she came in this way, damn it! She could be anywhere in this museum—the place is huge!"

"Did she get a look at you?" Joe's voice was calmer.

"No, the hallway was too dark. When I tapped her boyfriend to sleep, she ran like a rabbit. Why the hell did he have to pick tonight to come here? If he wanted to romance, he should've taken her to his place. Judging by what I saw of her, she'd have kept him busy between the sheets for a week."

Feeling herself stiffen again, this time indignantly, Tomoyo was conscious of an absurd embarrassment that the man holding her so tightly against him had heard that lewd comment.

"Never mind," Joe said impatiently. "We're covering all the doors, so she can't get out, and the phone lines have been cut. She dropped her purse there, right? Check to see if she had a cell; if she did, trash it. After that we'll go back to our posts and wait. We'll be finished in another half hour and out of here. She'll be locked in until morning, so she can't do us any harm."

"I don't like it, Joe."

"You don't have to like it." The third man hissed, "And stop using his name, you fool. Do what your told and get back to your post."

There was a moment of taut silence, and then Joe's unhappy minion passed the archway on his route back to his post, an even more distorted scowl darkening his face.

Tomoyo heard his footsteps fade into silence; strain as she would, she couldn't hear anything from Joe. At least five minutes have passed, with agonizing slowness, before her captor finally relaxed slightly and eased her down so that her feet touched the cold floor.

His voice sounded again, soft and no more than a sibilant whisper, next to her ear. "I'm not going to hurt you. Understand? But you have to be still and silent, or you'll bring them down on us."

Tomoyo nodded her understanding. As soon as he released her, she took half a step away and turned to confront him. "If you aren't with then what are you—" she began in a whisper, then broke off as the question was answered.

He was a tall man, at least one or two inches over six feet tall, with wide shoulders and a wiry look that spoke of honed strength and feline grace rather than muscled bulk.

Tomoyo had felt that strength, awfully familiar.

Enveloped in black from head to toe, he had a compact and very efficient-looking tool belt strapped to his lean waist. And from the black shi mask gleamed, almost catlike, the most mysterious shade of eyes she'd ever seen. Maybe because of the light—it was a mix of many colour, flickering from various colour.

"Oh." She knew, then, what he was doing here.

"Oh, Christ."

"Not nearly," he murmured.

Tomoyo felt a burst of pure irritation at his illtimed humor but somehow managed to keep her voice low. "You're just another _theif!_"

* * *

**AN: **I was so delighted with some of the minds of my readers. I love having my readers thinking in between the story and would love to share some hints in advance

**freedec12: **Does Teresa(and people like her) only want to see the collection before it is on show, or is she also connected with the thief?

**AN: **That dear readers is _very_ keen insights. Foreshadows anyone?

**Syaoran Dante: **So Sakura waits till now to tell someone. Syaoran should be angry.

**AN: **Yes. I'm afraid that is my doing. She just has to piss him off _a bit _once in a while.

**chibi angelle: **erm.. didnt mean to make it sound like i was out to get you for a cliffie ;) i simply meant that your story was rather interesting and i would like you to update soon )

**AN: **I understand very well, chibi angelle. I was only teasing

**paradisekiss91: **i love this side of Sakura. it reminds me of her char. side with Touya/kero in the anime series.

**AN: **I agree because that was exactly what I was going for. Afterall, if Sakura had never met Tomoyo, Syaoran and Meiling and lived with 5 brothers, she is bound to have such characteristics :)

Also, Chapter 9 will make up for this short chapter; it is _very_ long.


	10. Chapter: 9

**Title: **The Misguided Fool

**Foreshadow: **_"I dont' have much time," Sakura said. "Syaoran's supposed to pick me up in another hour or two for dinner. You have to make a decision about this."_

_"I know, I know." (censor) sighed. "He's asking questions, good ones, and I can't stall him forever."_

_As he walked slowly around the tree towards them, Li said coldly, "Then why don't you try the truth?"_

**Reminder !! **I've set up a "Blind Poll" (Profile) to see which 2 top characters everyone thinks are likely this mysterious thief will turn out to be. Voting open until the unveiling of the thief on the last chapter And even by the second last chapter, I won't make it easier for you readers to guess. I will try to keep up the secrets.

**Chapter: 9**…

* * *

**_:Previously in Chapter 8...:_**

_Enveloped in black from head to toe, he had a compact and very efficient-looking tool belt strapped to his lean waist. And from the black shi mask gleamed, almost catlike, the most mysterious shade of eyes she'd ever seen. Maybe because of the light—it was a mix of many colour, flickering from various colour._

_"Oh." She knew, then, what he was doing here._

_"Oh, Christ."_

_"Not nearly," he murmured._

_Tomoyo felt a burst of pure irritation at his illtimed humor but somehow managed to keep her voice low. "You're just another theif!"_

"Please." He sounded injured.

"Such a commonplace word. An ugly word, even. I prefer to call myself a privateer."

"Wrong," she snapped, still in a low voice that would have been inaudiable a couple of feet away.

"This isn't a ship on the high sea, and we aren't at war. You're a common, ordinary, run-of-the-mill _criminal_." She could've sworn those vivd eyes gleamed with sheer amusement.

"My dear young woman," he said, that same emotion threaded through his soft, unaccented voice, "I am neither common nor ordinary. In fact, I'm one of the last of a vanishing breed in these uncomfortably organized, high-tech days.

If you must attatch a noun on me, make it a cat burglar. However, I'd much prefer it if you simply call me Lupin." (AN: french nick-name, from my favorite book, Crystal Stopper by Maurice Leblanc)

x x x x x x x x

Touya groaned as he read through Sakura's very reluctant report.

She knew perfectly well what he meant by that repot and it certainly centered around her relationships with her colleagues.

_Especially_ that chinese brat.

"What are you doing now, Touya?"

A hand patted his shoulder.

Glancing at the offensive hand, Touya growled in warning, "What the hell do you want, Kyo?"

His youngest brother in question gave an innocent look, "What ever do you mean, Tooooouya"

Touya rubbed his temple feeling an oncoming headache very soon. "Answer the question, baka."

Kyo leaned causally down on his knees to come face to face with his eldest brother. Pushing back his shoulder length auburn hair from his eyes, he grinned lazily. "About Saturday--"

Immediately Touya answered him, "No."

"But I didn't even say what--"

"No."

"Wha--"

"No." With that Touya turned back to the report, re-reading his sister's update about her completion in her job and how she was handling the gaki at the moment.

"I'm just saying," Kyo tried again.

Touya heaved a heavy sigh knowing that he wouldn't leave until he heard what he had to say. "Since we're both single men--"

Touya growled, "No more nightclubs."

Kyo laughed, "No, I don't think I can take you to decent clubs anymore. I was just thinking we should go take a good break once in a while, you know? I mean, as much as I love Sakura," he snatched the file from his brother.

"I don't think its ok to keeping track on her 24/7; I mean she's in her twenty's right? What are we her personal stocker?"

"Early twenty's." Touya gritted out. "She's still young."

"And that is exactly my point!" Kyo smiled again, "I mean, you're pushing thirty and I'm getting to that point too. We aren't getting any younger so, where are the women?"

Touya moaned inwardly. Kami, not this again.

"We are the great men of this world. And all men need women. It is just fact! Didn't God create the two for the obvious reason to be fruitful and multiply to roam the earth? Seriously. We are practically **sinning** by not having them by our side**.**

And really, I'd like to keep the big guy up there happy and go to heaven when I die."

Touya scoffed at the last comment but his younger brother ignored the him, continuing his little speech to make his point.

"Anywas, unlike you, I can't go on celibating like a monk for long. It is against our nature."

"Unlike you, I have very high standards." Touya retorted. "Ever considered that?"

"No, you just don't like to admit, you need some fun and a woman by your side."

"I don't need woman like Kaguya." he simply stated.

Kyo frowned. "What was wrong with Kaguya? She's hot and--"

"She tried to sleep with me on day two."

"Ok, bad example there, what about Cannon? She was a nice decent girl." Kyo tried again.

"Vegetarian."

"Morgan?"

"Jumped me."

"Trisha?"

"Gold-digger."

"Celest?"

"Married."

Kyo blinked,"Really? I could've sworn she didn't wear a ring that time I--"

Touya sighed, "She was cheating on her husaband. The damn bastard came to my office and I had to beat the shit out of him for even suggesting that I was involved with his wife."

"Oh yeah Wait...didn't you bust him because he said something about mom and Sakura?"

"... that too."

"_Sooooo_, about Saturday..."

Touya took the report back from Kyo. "No, and that is final."

Kyo thougth for a moment.Just what would motivate the workaholic Touya to get his lazy ass out of his office and venture the world of females again?

And then, the answer struck him as his eyes caught his little sister's report in his brother's hands.

"Um, hey Touya," he added casually, "You know, its been a while since I last saw Sakura. I mean, I only saw her onve in Venice but she left with all her work there."

Touya continued to ignore him, or at least appeared so, but Kyo knew better that when her name was involved, Touya's attention was 100 set on the conversation.

"Maybe I should go check up on her this weekend. I mean, its pretty normal since I rarely see her and of all her brothers I'm usually the last person she expects..."

"In other words, you're willing to spy on her for me."

Kyo ignored his comment.

"Its just too bad," he added lazily, "I too much have plans for this weekend."

Touya raised a challenging eyebrow.Wait for it...

"But," beamed Kyo, "I might feel inclined to check up on my sweet imouto if you would take my place. You know I consider you my most favorite brother, I've never had."

"Kyo, I **am **your brother. You have 4 brothers!

And, you say this to all of us--

Just yestersay, you told Yue for cancelling your date after actually seeing the girl from your bedroom window," sighing, Touya then decided logic was futile.

Suddenly, a cherry voice burst into the conversation. "Oh! What are we plotting this time?" asked Yukito.

x x x x x x x x

Tomoyo stared at him.

Lupin? Lupin.

She knew of him...God, of course she knew of him. For a mere decade, the name of Lupin--along with assorted aliases and journalistic nicknames in various languages--had been synoymous with daring, nerveless thief at its most dramatic.

An adventuer in the tradition of Robin hood and Indiana Jones seasoned with the shadowy flair of Batman.

If the newspapers were to be believed, he had smoothly robbed the best families of Europe--at least, the papers had stated, those who deserved it.

Relieving them of fine trinckets and artworks with a delicate precision and finicky taste that made the cat in his preferred noun an apt choice.

And in so doing, he bypassed some of the most expensive and complicated security system ever designed with laughable ease.

Rumors stated that in the past he had stumbled across a treasure to have made him lastingly wealthy proving that his bulgarlies and mischellaneous adventures were for pleasures alone.

Along with, he was famous for many other things. Never using weapons, careful of harming others, and never coming close to being caught, made him something of a legend.

"Aw, hell." Tomoyo whispered.

"Not yet." He seemed even more amused. "I see that my reputation preceeds me. How gratifying. It's nice to know that one's work is appreciated."

She ignored the levity. "I thought you were a European thief exclusively."

"Ah--but Tokyo is the city of opportunity," he intoned in a reverernt voice.

She didn't know weither to laugh or to swear.

With her own love of ancient artifacts and priceless artworks, she had never felt the slightest urge to romanticize the theft of them. Plus, no matter how rapturous certain journalists seemed to be in describing the daring exploits of thieves with taste **and** without leaning towards violence, she saw nothing of Robin Hood-type myth clinging to this one:

No one had ever implied that Lupi shared his spoils with the poor,

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I rather thought that was obvious."

Tomoyo drew a sharp breath, "Dammit, I meant--stop staring at my chest!"

Lupin cleared his throat with an odd little sound, and in a suspicious pensive and humble tone said, "I have held in m\y hands some of the finest artworks the world has ever known. Had I but realized a few moments ago that so exquisite a work of Nature herself was so near...May I say--"

"No, you may not," she said from between gritting her teeth, fighting a mad urge to giggle.

"No, naturally not," he murmured, then added sadly, "There are a certain drawbacks of being a gentleman burglar."

"Oh, now you claim to be a gentleman?"

"What's your name?" he asked curiously, ignoring her sarcasm.

"Tomoyo Hiiragizawa." Oddly enough, she didn't even think about withholding the information...but relieved?

"Tomoyo. A unique name. Derived from the flower I believe, old japanese--" This time, he stopped himself, adding after a thoughtful moment, "And familiar."

"Ah, now I remember." Tomoyo sensed his grin from underneath his mask, "You're the director of the forthcoming Troy Collection exhibit."

She raised a hand and shook a finger under his nose, "If you dare to rob my exhibit," she whispered fiercely, "I will hunt you down like a wild pack of wolves to the ends of this earth and roast your gentleman's carcass over perdition's flames!"

After a short moment of silence, he cleared his throat, "I believe you would," he said mildly.

"Interpol itself never threatened me with more resolution."

"Never doubt it." She let her hand fall, then said in an irratble tone, "And you distracted me."

Still mild, Lupi said, "Not nearly as much as you distract me, Tomoyo."

"Its Hiiragizawa-san, Hiiragizawa to you."

"Oh, but I prefer Tomoyo."

"I don't think informality is inorder for--" She got a hold of herself.

Absurd.

Of all ridiculous...

Here was she in a dark museum that was being systematically looted by an organized group of thieves.

Her dinner date had been, at the very least, knocked unconscious (not that she had mind); and now here she was defending her name preference to an internationally infamous cat burglarwho had too much charm for his own good.

And hers.

Doggedly, she tried again. "Never mind my name. If you aren't with those jokers out there, then why are you here?"

"The situation does have its farcical points," he said amiably. "I'm afraid I dropped in on them. Literally. We seemed to have the same agenda in mind for tonight. Though my plans were, of course, on a far lesser scale.

Since they outnumbered me twelve to one, and they seemed definately armed, I chose not to--shall we say--force the issue.

It breaks my heart, mind you, because I'm almost certain that what I came here for is now neatly tucked away in one of their boring little satchels. But..._c'est la vie_."

Tomoyo stared at him, not believing at what she was hearing.

Still, she couldn't help but ask in sheer curiosity. "What did you come for?"

Lupin gently answered her, "None of your business, Tomoyo." Purposefully using her first name to annoy her.

After a moment, she said speculatively, "I don't suppose you'd let me see your face?"

"That wouldn't be my first choice, no. Lupin is a name and a shadow, nothing more. I have a strong feeling that your descriptive powers are better than average, and I don't care to see a reasonable fascimile of my face plastered across the newspapers.

Being a cat burglar is the very devil once the police knows what you look like." And then he smiled.

"All the surveillance systems in the world that included video cameras, and nobody's yet managed to get a shot of you?"

"I have a knack," he explained modestly.

"Sure...It's more like you have a hammer," she said, eyeing his tool belt.

Lupin feined hurt, "Why, Lady Tomoyo. I never destroy things. Break a window or a display case now and then, perhaps, but nothing worse than that."

"Stealing priceless things isn't worse than that?"

"Well, I meant along the lines of destruction."

Her left brow quirked upwards, "And I'm suppose to give you points for that?"

"I was rather hoping you would," he replied with suspicious earnestness.

"Oh, for God's sake," she muttered under her breath.

He had been leaning a negligent shoulder against the stone warrior, his pose one of lazy attention, but before she could say anything else, he straightened abruptly.

She didn't have to see his face to feel his sudden tension, and when he reached out for her she felt a momnet of real fear.

"Shh," he whispered, drawing her close to him and deeper into the shadows. "They'er coming."

Tomoyo's instant of rigidity was just that brief. The man must have ears like a bat; she hadn't heard a thing but was now aware of the muffled footsteps coming toward them up the hall.

A lot of muffled footsteps.

Lupin bent his head until his lips were near her ears and softly breathed, "Their truck's parked by a side entrance; they have to pass this room in order to reach it."

Tomoyo was definitely nervous about the possibility of discovery, but even then she was aware of a total extraneous and illogical observation.

Despite Lupin's implication that if he had known about her charms earlier he might allowed his hands to wander a bit, the hadns at her waist remained perfectly still and had not accidently fumbled en route there.

It was his eternal credit as a man, she thought. Or a credit to his detached professionalism as a thief with more businesslike matters on his mind.

Or else he'd been grossly exaggerating his admiration of said charms.

She wasn't sure which.

Deep down Tomoyo was surprise that, she wanted to know. She very badly wanted to know.

Pushing the insanely inapproapriate thoughts aside, she tried to ignore the disturbing closeness of his hard body as they watched almost a dozen shadowy forms file quietly pass the doorway.

All the men carried leather satchels and were burdened with various tools.

Tomoyo watched them, and it suddenly hit her that the small brown bags contained the museum's treasures.

It was like a kick in the stumach that hurt and made her fall ill.I can't just stand here and watch without lifting a finger to stop--

That was when Lupin quickly and quietly clapped his hands over her mouth, again, and the hand at her waist held her in an iron grip that stopped her from any sudden movements.

Tomoyo looked up to meet his eyes. How did he know? Surely this wretched man can't read minds? No...No, course not. I must've given away my feelings somehow. A twitch or whimper or something.

She sighed as she made herself perfectly still until he would finally relaxed and turned her loose.

She contemplated in counting sheep.

_One little sheep jumping over fence._

_Second little sheep goes over._

_Third little...wait...was that Lupin?!_

Smiling darkly Tomoyo grinned at her vivid imagination.

_Jumping over the fence and into a brown bag._

_Oh, look! The entire group of thieves and Lupin was at her mercy. It was too bad the word was not common in her vocabulary._

_All nicely bagged tied up and some staring at her in vast humiliation and terror.Yes! Bow down before this Tomoyo and beg for forgiveness!She brought down her whip with inhuman strength laughing maniacally. "Mwaahahahahahahahhaahahha...cough."_

Ok, perhaps that was a little too much...

Glancing at the forgotten bags of precious artifacts she shook her head.

_"Right...You-you bastards!"_

Anyways. Where was she?

Imaginary Tomoyo picked up the double ax from the floor approaching the men and--

Tomoyo snapped back into reality as she felt herself lowered to the ground by Lupin, suddenly feeling the pain from her sides again.

"My ribs," she said temperately, "are cracked. At least three of them."

"Sometimes I don't know my own strength," he said, apologizing solemlny.

Tomoyo followed as he strolled casually out of their hiding space and into the hall, reasoning from his lazy attitude--and the fact that his deep voice was no longer unnaturally quite--that he knew the other theives had gone.

x x x x x x x x

Naomi Takahashi was still astonished she'd been able to get a job with a security company. And somewhat amused.Security? Yeah, right

But unless she wanted to flip burgers or bag groceries, she'd had to take the chance and apply.

It was her good luck that Haste Security was in crying need of a few employees with a security background--and a guy at her last place had owed her a big favor so he managed a glowing recommendation for her.

Still, you'd think the elite Security company would've at least checked for a police record before they hire somebody.

Shrugging, she thanked the universe for small favors and large ones, Naomi settleed happily into the new job, and within a good number of weeks was feeling quite at home there.

She was also trusted and given increasing responsibility--another amusement but appreciated on her count since it lead to a raise.

Naomi liked her job.

And she had no plan to screw things up by doing anything she shouldn't have. She learned the hard lesson that a one-time big score was seldom worth the risk of getting caught.Besides,

No, Naomi's life was progressing smoothly. Perhaps so smoothly, that she'd absolutely no suspicion that everything was about to hit the fan.

(AN: Of course I planned to ruine this girl's life...I am just evil that way.)

She left work a bit later than usual that night, mostly because she wanted to earn a few employee bonus points by doing some extra work on a security system being designed for a private home--of a personal friend of her boss.

She walked around the cornerto where she'd left her Cooper parked, smiling as she thought of the praise that would be heaped on her in the morning.

Bonus points were fun.

She was fumbling in her purse for her key rings with its remote keyless entry gadget when a pleasant voice froze her in her tracks.

"Hello, Naomi."

It wasn't a familiar voice, but Naomi had grown literally on the streets, and she had recognized a threat when she heard of one. Still too far from her car to make a break for it, she turned very slowly and looked at him.

He was smiling at her.

He was also holding an elegant little gun in one gloved hand.

"Oh, don't worry, Naomi. Although you are a lovely woman, I don't have rape in mind. Or even robbery."

She swallowed hard. "Then what do you want?"

"Just a little information, that's all."

"Information?"

"Come now, Naomi, let's not pretend. You know what I want. And you know how to get it. After all--you've done it before, haven't you?"

Naomi stared at him, understanding everything this bastard didn't need to say. In her mind she hissed at him fiercely, Stalker!

"Yeah," she answered dully. "So I do know what you want."

x x x x x x x x

"What happened to the security guards?"

"It's just a guess," he answered, walking through the hall with more briskness now, "but from the way they were snoring when I checked on them earlier, I'd say they'd been drugged.

And neat job. You heard the charming Joe say that the phone line was cut; the alarm system has naturally been deactivated, and none of the outside doors was damaged when they came in--Damn!"

The oath, uttered with more resignation than heat, escaped him as they stood in the doorway of what used to be the Egyptian exhibit.

Tomoyo said something a great deal stronger.

In fact, she said several violent and colourful things, the last few of which cause Lupin to turn his head and look down at her with a definite gleam in his eyes.

"Such language," he reproved.

"Look at what they did," she very nearly wailed, gesturing wildly at the room as the echoes of her bitter cry bounce mockingly back at her. It looked, she thougth painfully, like a room after a kid's birthday party: chaotic, depressingly empty, and rather pathetic.

The thieves had be thorough.

Into their little brown bags had gone all the literally pricelss jewelry of the Pharaoh along with everything else they could carry away: Figureines, the gold plate and goblets, and even--

"The mummy case," she gasped. "They took the mummy case?"

"Carted it out before you crashed the party," Lupin answered, still maddeningly calm.

Tomoyo turned and seized fistfuls of his black turtleneck sweater rather pleased when he flinched visibly as her nails dug into his chest.

"And you didn't even try to stop them?!" she demanded furiously.

Lupin looked down at her. "Twelve to one," he reminded her in an absent tone.

"And they had guns. Don't hit me, but you look rahter magnificent when you're angry."

She glared at him and gave him a shove as she stepped back.

The shove didn't budge him, which also, obsecurely, pleased her. "You are a souless man," she told him. "How anyone--anyone at all--could stand here and watch this...this **rape **in total calm passes the bounds of all understanding**."**

"Appearances," he said softly, "can be quite deceiving, Tomoyo. If I can get my hands on the man who ordered for this to be done, I would probably strangle him...or worse."

Then, in a lighter and rather mocking tone, he added, "Such wholesale thievery has a distressing tendency to enrage the local constabulary, to say nothing of persons with valuables to protect. And its so greedy, aside from the trouble it causes we honest craftsman."

"Honest?" she yelped.

"I have my living to make, after all," he said in an injured voice. "Can I help it if my natural skills set me in opposition to certain narrow-minded rules?"

"Cut the crap, Lupin. Everyone knows that treasure you found in the carrebean alone makes you another infamours Billionare."

She heard Lupin ignore her comment as he turned away then scurried along behind him.

The floor was cold beneath her stockinged feet, and it reminded her ...

"Oh, hell, I hope they haven't killed Peter," she muttered almost to herself as she caught up with Lupin.

"The boyfriend?"

Tomoyo glared at his back, "I'm _married_!"

Lupin stopped, and turned to face her, "Oh, that's right,_ Mrs._Hiiragizawa. The famous owner of the Kyoto Museum?"

Casually he rubbed his hand against his chin, "Hmm, then this Peter...he is your lover?"

Flustering, weither from rage or embaressment, Tomoyo exploded at him. "No! For your information I am a very loyal wife and just because I'm recently married and his absnece doesn't mean you can just--"

Tomoyo stopped herself again. "Peter, my date," she corrected repressively, "is the curator of this place."

"And he brought you here after hours? Let me guess...he wanted to show you his _etchings_?"

If she couldn've seen his face, Tomoyo knew it would've looked sardonic.

She didn't have to see his face because his voice was just the same.

But his question was so damn apt that she had a dificult time being indignant.

Finally, sweetly, she said, "None of your business."

"That puts me in my place," he murmured, then added before she could explode, "I wouldn't worry about your man; professional thieves tend to avoid murder."

"Does that go for you too?" she asked nastily.

He was unruffled. "Certainly. The judges of the world, by and large, look on robbery with severe eyes--but not so nearly severe as those regarding murder." (AN: amen.)

Tomoyo couldn't manage anything but a glare, which was wasted because Lupin was rapidly surveying the rooms they were passing through.

Interested despite herself, she asked warily, "Are you looking for something?"

"I hate wasted efforts," he explained absently.

She almost tripped over a security guard lying on the floor, his hands tapped behind his back and--as Lupi already said--snoring gustily.

Regaining her balance, she hurried on, catching up to the infamous thief as he looked down into the glass case.

"The Taiban Talsman," he said in a considering tone.

Tomoyo didn't like where this was going. "What about it?"

"It's a nice piece. Gold half studded with rubies and a nice opal embedded at the core. Plain chains, but what the hell. Fetch a good price

* * *

**AN:** Ok, I lied. This is not the longest chapter I've ever wrote :P Now onto review replys from CH.8 !

**freedec12: **S.H.O.R.T! Next chapter better be big... I was waiting so long such a chapter...not to mention the last part was the best...suspense and humor together...yay! Has Sakura's plan already commerced or what...? Now my possibilities are all widening with every chapter...

**AN: ...**Yes, I agree it was rather short, and I give another round of sincere apologies; however, I'm happy to hear your view. It made writing more fun and my 30min writers block completely non-exsistent

**CheesyCraziness: **cracking up at Tomoyo

**AN:** Ah, that's good to hear. I was worried I was the only one, and was feeling slightly bothered by my stupid conscience.

**Fallen from the Sky: **oh who might this mystery thief be? this story is great! and what kind of trap is Sakura planning? please update when you can!

**AN:** I'm glad you are enjoying the story And as for the trap... (AN: Yes, I'm evil that way)

**Mrs.Radcliff 13:** Oh wow. This story is becoming convolted like Twizzlers licorice.

**AN:** Interesting metaphor!

**Luvia**: God damn, that was too short ! Now i gotta wait like a decade for you to update. Bah, I hate your stories because they are SO damn good. LOL hurry up and update mkay ?

**AN:** I love all my reviews! They are so encouraging during WB's, especially when hearing that others beside my brother like my stories (AN: reason why I'm still writing this?), so ty, Luvia :)


	11. Chapter: 10

**Title: **The Misguided Fool

**Foreshadow: **"...Make up your mind Kinomoto! Who do you really want?"

**AN: **Omygosh. the worst chapter I've written in quite a while. New ideas lead me to a big change TT which lead to a crappy-shorter chapter 10. Do not worry though, chapter 11 is worth it. (Thanks to Freedec12 for quick fix up on grammer)

**Chapter: 10**…

* * *

**_:Previously in Chapter 9...:f_**

_"I hate wasted efforts," he explained absently._

_She almost tripped over a security guard lying on the floor, his hands tapped behind his back and--as Lupi already said--snoring gustily._

_Regaining her balance, she hurried on, catching up to the infamous thief as he looked down into the glass case._

_"The Taiban Talsman," he said in a considering tone._

_Tomoyo didn't like where this was going. "What about it?"_

_"It's a nice piece. Gold half studded with rubies and a nice opal embedded at the core. Plain chains, but what the hell. Fetch a good price_

What?!" Tomoyo was so enraged, her voice actuallly squeaked. "You don't think I'm going to just stand here and let you steal that?"

"No." He sighed. "No, I rather thought you'd have an objection." And then he moved.

Forever afterwards, Tomoyo was unable to explain to her own satisfaction how he managed to do it. He didn't exactly leap at her, he was just _there, _in a flash like a big shadow.

She was off balance. That was her only excuse.

Off balance and lulled by the sinful charm of the thieving scoundrel.

She found herself, quite unaccountably, sitting on the cold marble floor.

She wasn't hurt at all, only her wrist were bound together (snugly but not too tightly) with black electrictan's tape, and she was staring at the ornate leg of a display case her arms were wrapped around.

Effectively immobilized.

x x x x x x x x

By the time they reached Sakura's hotel suit an hour later, Li had stopped swearing out loud. But he paced like his namesake (little wolf) caged, barely noticing the room he was in.

"Why the hell do you tell this too me now? Couldn't you have told me—oh I don't know...right after you find the bloody thing?! I mean, aren't I incharge of the security of this exhibit, or aren't I?"

Sakura nodded absently as he continued to rave on.

"Don't I at least deserve that much respect reserved from you?"

Sakura smiled solely to herself; _Oh, but you do. You do hold a small respect from me, Syaoran._

He continued to pace for a few moments in silence so Sakura bent to allow her cat to transfer from her shoulder to the back of the couch, where he made himself comfortable.

Then she sat down at one end; both she and Kero watched amusedly the man moving around the room.

"It had to be the first technician," he said finally.

"It wasn't him."

Li stopped pacing to stare at her. "If you're trying to be loyal to Haste—"

"I'm not," she interrupted. "Look, Li. If I or any other decent technician wanted to patch in to a phone line, we could do it without leaving evidence." She said, trying to bring some common sense into his mind.

Not for the first time since she met him.

"And what I saw looked like it had been done in one hell of a hurry. Anyone could've gotten into that room at some point during the past few days, you know that. The hallway isn't guarded, not now when the security system isn't on line. And I'm willing to bet my predecessor didn't spend every minute in there, especially when the machine was loading information and he didn't have anything to do except wait for it to finish."

Li had to admit, if only silently, that he hadn't thought much about the security of the computer room himself.

It was just like she said—though the machines themselves were certainly valuable, nobody could cart them from the museum unobserved, and the system wasn't vitally important until it was on line, so that hallway hadn't been the focus of the guard's attention.

"Goddamnit," he murmured.

Sakura shrugged. "Hey, they've got an unlocked door—not an open one. I can lock it for good by cutting the connection. Or I can stand ready at the door and see who tried to open it."

"We're back to the trap," he said, crossing the room to sit down on the arm of the couch across from her.

"Well, it makes sense to me." Sakura wrestled her boots off and then curled up at her end of the couch.

"Since the original security program was on dial at Haste Security and would've been potentially accessible to a thief, I was brought in to install a program so new it isn't in anybody's computer. Except this one."

She tapped her temple with one finger.

Li nodded. "That's what Eriol and I agreed to, providing we see the entire program before it goes on line."

"Which you will. But the point is that even if somebody has an unlocked door into the system, getting in won't be easy at all. They'll have to figure out what the access codes are—and I designed tougher ones."

"But they could get in?"

Sakura waved her left hand casually. "Oh, sure. Given enough time, patience, and knowledge. They'll have to make a number of attempts, though. So all I have to do is program the system to guard itself; if there's an attempted entry I'll be alerted."

"Could we find out who was trying to get in?"

Sakura secretly smiled at Li's little slip up in his words.

____

We.

"Maybe. We could try tracing the phone line."

"You don't sound too hopeful," Li noted with a frown.

She smiled wryly. "If it was me trying to get in, I would've routed the call through so many lines you'd never find me, at least not in the time I'd need to get in and get what I wanted. And competent technician would do the same."

Li brooded for a few moments in silence then said, "Then your idea of a trap isn't to catch somebody in the system, its to lead them to a place where we're waiting for them?"

Her smile was quick and approving. "Exactly! If I know they're trying to get into the system, I can have a little subprogram or rather, _decoy_ all ready to tell them whatever we want them to know. Like the system has a weak spot that looks just too inviting for words? No thief worth his—or her—salt is going to pass that up."

What she was saying was reasonable, but Li wasn't quite ready to approve her idea.

First, if a thief was after the Troy Collection, he—or she—wouldn't make a move until the collection was in the museum.

And second, he wasn't sure that he completely trusted Sakura Kinomoto.

That shadowy, secret expression in her eyes earlier had bothered him.

"I'll have to think about it. In the morning, I'll get you to show me that phone patch."

"Of course," she murmured. "After all—I might have some nefarious plan of my own. So you'd better give the matter _all due consideration_."

Li winced feeling caught again.

__

Damn that woman and her readings. Might as well say she could read my mind these days.

__

Wait...**can **she read my mind?!

Li stopped his line of thought and took a small glance at Sakura's humoured face.

He couldn't stop himself for what he was about to say next. "What am I thinking?"

"Oh?" Sakura let out an innocently puzzled face.

Li felt an oncoming blush, just realizing his mistake. He would rather die than repeat himself.

Then it was rather fortunate or unfortunate for him, that Sakura decided to humour herself from their previously serious conversation. "What you're thinking..."

"Hmm, obviously you're frustrated that I'm reading you far too well and want to know if I'm just some psychic."

____

Damn. That is just too creepy,

"And now you think I'm creepy."

"..."

"You know, you really are easy to read than what people say, Li. I don't think using my powers to read your mind is necessary." Sakura kidded using a very straight face, picked up from her eldest brother.

____

So she can read minds?! I knew it. I just knew it... Talking about her cat being her familiar, making me thinking about her every night, bothering me when she's not even there. I knew she—

"Oh. And I do hope you didn't take my joke too seriously. I don't really have magic."

Syaoran stopped his line of thougth again, horrified.

The case for her was that either she was really reading him as easy as she said or she was a mind reader.

Either ways, he didn't like it one bit.

Perhaps, he had secretly hoped that she did possess some sort of magic background that he could blaim on, because personally, the truth was unbareable.

__

Fxxx.

x x x x x x x x

An uncomfortable silence settled around the room as Syaoran realized his mistake.

Letting her get to him once again, he couldn't control his body's next action from then. Pulling her surprised lithe body from the couch and crashing their lips brutally against each other.

The utter desire and satisfaction froze him to the core.

_Shit... _

Coughing, Li shoved his hands that just a moment ago lulled her head to his roughly into his pocket. "I need to go back and check a few things with the guards."

"..."

"So, I'll wait for your update on this plan of your's, Kinomoto. Don't leave out any details."

Sakura took a sharp breath as Syaoran left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

She turned slowly, lowering her feet to the floor, and sat there gazing across the room at absolutely _nothing._

It had been a very long day.

And Li had always managed to catch her by surprise even when she thought she was in complete control.

Not even a week in Tokyo and already she was in deep trouble.

"Yaah," Kero said, as if he'd read her mind.

"I can handle it," she said, turning her head to look at the little cat.

He was sitting on the back of the couch , where he had observed silently. "I won't loose control, it was just jet lag, that's alll. That's why I'm imagining things tonight."

Kero chirped softly.

As tired and disturbed as she was, Sakura's inner alarm closk reminded her of an appointment that had to be kept.

She rose and went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face, pausing for a moment to study her reflection in the mirror.

Her lips were a little swollen, a deeper red than she was accustomed to, and her eyes were very bright, almost feverish.

"Liar," she murmured to herself, admitting what was gnawing at her painfully. "And the hell of it is—you're getting good at it. Too good."

Sakura dried her face and went back out into the sitting room, trying not to think.

Not that she could avoid it.

The intensity of desire between her and Li had caught her off guard, and the passion promised a definite complication. It wasn't her job to get involved with a man—especially not the man responsible for the security of this exhibit.

She couldn't afford to let that happen, she told herself fiercely.

Even if it caused no other problems, her loyalty could be divided.

She could let down her guard with Li, tell him things she'd no rights telling him.

Even worse, she would be gaining his trust under false pretense.

He was, like his namesake (little wolf), wary, suspicious of a hand held out; what would his reaction be if they became lovers and he found out she'd lied to him?

"Damnit it all to hell," she whispered, unconsciously pacing the sitting room as Keor watched silently from the back of the couch. (AN: so much language, I know. But considering their situation? appropriate.)

A soft knock at the door drew Sakura's attention, and she went quickly to the little hallway. She looked through the peephole and immediately opened the door.

Without a word, she stepped back to let him in.

While she was closing the door, he went into the sitting room, looking around him with the automatically searching gave of a man always wary of his surrounds.

Kero spoke to him softly from the back of the couch, and he scratched the little cat briefly under the chin as he passed.

He ended up standing to one side of the window, gazing out on the lights of the city.

Sakura came back into the room and sat down on the arm of a chair, watching the visitor.

"I don't like lying to him." The statement came out abruptly.

The man turned away from the window, his strange eyes cool and calm. "You don't have a choice," he replied.

x x x x x x x x

Tomoyo tried to kick him, but he was too agile for her.

Chuckling as he stood just out of her range and removed something from his belt, Lupin said admiringly, "Your eyes spit rage, just like a cat's. No, stop trying to kick me, you'll only hurt yourself."

Tomoyo winced as the glass in the display case shattered under his expert touch. "You're not going to leave me here?" she demanded incredulously, peering at him.

"My apologies," he murmured.

"You—y-you _bastard!_"

He might have heard the note of genuine horror in her voicel his head tilted as he lookded down at her, and his voice was more sober. "Only for an hour or so, Tomoyo, I give you my word. As soon as I'm away, I'll tip the police."

She scowled at him, angry at herself for having shown a moment of weakness.

The truth was, she didn't at all enjoy the idea of being alone, helplessly bound, in a dim museum with only drugged guards and a possibly murdered Peter for company.

And because of that she forgotten one crucial info reguarding Lupin.

He had liked to play cat and mouse with the police in all of his attempts and sucesses, and never missed the chance of gloating infront of the cops, do a little dance, taunting them and leave in the night never to be seen.

____

Go to hell.

"Are you already thinking bad things about me, _Tomoyo_?"

Tomoyo's lips thinned, already knowing the smirk beneath the mask. _Damn him!_

"Is your word any good?" she retorted coldly, ignoring his first comment.

He seemed to go very still for a moment, then said in a voice different from any she'd yet heard him use, "My word is the only good thing about me. One must, after all, cling to some scrap of honour."

The overly light tone couldn't quite disguise a much deeper feeling underneath, a seriousness that surprised her. Tomoyo couldn't hold on to her scowl, but she did manage not to soften towards him.

Much.

She watched him lift the dagger from the case and drop it into a chamois bag she hadn't noticed tied to his tool belt. Then a sudden memory made her say, "That _Joe _fella said I'd be locked in until morning; how are you going to get out?"

"The same way I got in." His voice was his again—careless and somewhat mocking.

"Which is?"

His eyes seemed to gleam in the dim light, catlike, as he looked down at her. "Which is my little secret. After all—I may use the same trick to get at your exhibit."

Her momentary softening vanished as if an artic wind blasted it. "I swear to God, Lupin, if you lay so much as a single finger on any part of the Troy collection..."

"I know," he said sympathetically when her voice trailed off. "It's so hard to rise to glorious heights a second time. The first threat was so marvelously phrased. Let's see—ah yes. If I tamper with the Troy Collection, you mean to _hunt me down like a wild pack of wolves to the ends of this earth and roast my gentleman's carcass over perdition's flames._That was it, I believe?"

She made a strangled sound of sheer rage.

Lupin chuckled. "I must go now, _cherie_. Are you quite comfortable?"

Pride told her to ignore the mockingly solicitous question; the hard coldness of the floor beneath her thin skirt told her, to hell with pride, and to speak up before he disappeared.

Common sense won out, but her Cherokee pride made her voice sulky. "No, damn it. The floor's hard. And cold."

"My apologoies," he said gravely. "I will try to remedy that." He vanished into the shadows toward another of the rooms.

Tomoyo had to fight a craven impulse to cry out his name.

Museums were unnerving places at night, she decided firmly, squashing the impulse.

____

So...so quiet.

She shivered, seeing the remnants of history from a new perspective and not liking it much.

Lupin returned in just a few minutes, carrying a colourful, tasseled pillow he'd gotten from Lord knows where.

Still sulky but curious, Tomoyo waited to see how he'd manage; her position on the floor was awkward and she couldn't raise herself much.

In a matter of seconds, he was around and behind her, bent. Again without exploratory fumbles, he slid one arm around her waist and lifted her a few inches and neatly slid the pillow underneath her.

"How's that?" he asked briskly.

She looked up at him as he came into sight again. "Better," she said grudgingly. "But the police aren't going to believe a ruthless thief took the time to put a pillow under my ass."

He laughed with genuine amusement. "They will believe it. Trust me. Just tell them you asked for the pillow." The laughter fading, he stood looking down at her for a moment. "And tell them I was here. Don't forget that."

Tomoyo had the sudden realization that her story was going to sound awfully improbable. She found herself mentally editing Lupin out of the story completely and was astonished at herself she could only stare up at him bemusedly.

"I—I don't—That is, I haven't decided what I'll tell the police."

He was silent for a few beats, then said softly, "Will you lie for me, sweet Tomoyo?"

"No," she snapped. "For me. In case you haven't realized, any story I tell is going to sound fishy as hell. Running away from a group of organized thieves and caught be an internattionally famous cat burglar who just happened to be burgling the same museum on the same night?

After that, said thief tied me to the leg of a display case and put a pillow under my ass before stealing a lone dagger and making a clean escape? Don't forget Petere and I got in with a key. What's to stop the police from suspecting I was in league with —with you or the other ones?"

"If you know how to play dumb," Lupin said dryly, "the idea will never cross their minds."

"I'll play hysterical," she snarled. "God, the messes I get into. Just because Peter had to show me his etchings—Stop laughing, you beast!

Go on—get out of here, why can't you? Fade away into the misty night. Fold up your tent and beat it. Hit the road! The next time I see a black mask, I'll kick it in the shin. I hope the next place you burgle has a pack of wild dogs in it.

Dobermans. _**Big** _Dobermans. _Big hungry Dobermans—_whomissed their breakfest, lunch and dinner."

She eyed him resentfully as he leaned somewhat weakly against the display case and contiued to laugh at her. "On the whole," Lupin said unsteadily, "I think I'd prefered the flames of perdition."

"You can count on that, too. If Interpol doesn't get you, I will."

A last chuckle escaped him as Lupin straightened. "I find myself almost looking forward to that. Good night, sweet—and thank you for enlivening a boring event."

She held out until he reached a distant, shadowy doorway, then said, "Lupin?"

He hesitated, then turned. She caught the flash of his eyes.

"You—you will call the police?"

"I give you my word, Tomoyo," he said steadily. "They'll be here within an hour."

She nodded, and in a moment the shadows were only shadows.

It was very quiet and felt curiously desolate.

She sat there, bound to the lef of a display case, her stockinged feet growing cold-why hadn't she asked Lupin to find her shoes?—and a thick pillow cushioning against the hard floor.

It occured to her that she should start weaving a reasonable story for the police.

Knit one, purl two.

No, that wasn't weaving. Weaving was Penelope (AN: Penelope, wife of Odysses from the Greek Myth) picking out the threads of her tapestry by night because she didn't want to marry anyone else even if Odysses _had_ been gone an awfully long time.

Where were the odds against running into an infamous cat burglar twice in one lifetime?

Remote.

**Very** remote.

Unless, of course, one was the director of a fabulously valuable exhibit...

"Well, officer," she said aloud in the cavernous room, "it happened like this..."

By the luminous hands of her watch, the police arrived forty-minutes later.

__

And Lupin had been right, darn it.

They took one look at her and accepted without a blink the notion that a busy thief would take the time to find her a pillow because she'd told him the floor was hard and cold.

There were benefits to looking like a dumb sex kitten.

Sometimes.

Once in a blue moon.

x x x x x x x x

Syaoran drove down the stair at record speed, his insanity leading him. "2 minutes. Two _Fing minutes and I could've been out!_"

An old lady passing by gave him a dirty look as he continued to swear all the way home. "People these days...tsk-tsk."

But Li didn't feel an ounce of dignity bothered. At the moment, he could feel nothing but the feeling of Kinomoto smoothered perfectly into his entire being--the intensity of that one kiss, leaving him in a need more powerful than he had ever encountered before.

_If it were only sex_. He realized with pain.

He didn't have a doubt that that would be the most dangerous thing when it involved Kinomoto. Sakura...

It wasn't just the feeling of their perfectly molded bodies, heated by their uncanny need. It was the feel of her hair as his hands wove into them. Knowing how much she really affected every fiber of his being.

A feeling of want that was edging into his life in the most deadly ways.

"Damn! That Hiirazawa, somehow, I know this is his doing!"

Buzz-buzzz.

Li felt his back pocket, feeling his cellphone at vibrate. "WHat?"

The caller at the other side let out an eeriely familiar chuckle. "Where you just talking about me, my dear cousin?"

"..._Eriol_." Li growled.

"I believe that my assumptions are right then. How is the new technician holding up?"

"Cut the act, you bastard. Where the hell are you now?"

"Still New York, I'm afraid. Why? Has anything gone wrong?"

"Nothings wrong with Tomoyo or your precious exhibit."

"Would this has something to do with a certain Ms.Sakura?"

Li gripped the cell a little too tightly just then.

"By your silence, I'm taking that as a yes."

"Get me someone else." Li replied curtly. "And make it happen fast. That's the least you can do for hiring me on this stress-load job and dealing with Tomoyo for 2 weeks while your out of commission."

"Again, I must be say, I am working out a business proposition with your company, Xiao Lang."

"Just when are you coming back then?"

"How say you to tomorrow?"

* * *

**AN:** I have such good supports and interesting readers. Thank you for all your patience! With a sudden trip to New York, I've been quite busy from my writtingTT I hope that this chapter will appease most

**Fallen from the sky:** Lupin is hilarious! he kind of reminds me of Kaito Dark from DN Angel XD I want him to succeed yet don't at the same time! .

**AN:** Thanks, Fallen this is a great compliment to my Lupin's character. I hope I didn't damage it further from your expectations;;

**Fr****eedec12:** It's good to see the thief actually having a composed and humorous nature...and not the I-am-evil-and-I'm-going-to kill-you-cause-you're-the-good-guy...I was originally hoping for Eriol but I dunno...Tomoyo is quite sharp and she would figure it na? But I'm making no promises...(This is how you play safe!) Great chapter..Loved the witty remarks...Kyo rocks!

**AN: **Have I ever told anyone that I write evil stories? Mwahahahahaha! I did have plenty ideas with Eriol as Lupin, lets just say that much. But ...

**HinataForever89:** I like this Kyo guy kinda reminds me of Miroku in Inuyasha just a bit .

**AN: **Hmm, I suppose you can look at it that way.

**chibi angelle:** Hm.. i have this strange feeling that Lupin is actually Eriol; after all, he is "away on business" is he not ?

**AN: **Behold, the cliffhanger of this chapter.


	12. Chapter: 11

**Title: **The Misguided Fool

**Foreshadow: **"...So, how did you do it?"

**AN: **Took me long enough, eh? Most of you must either really hate or love me^^; you probably don't want to hear my excuses so please, just enjoy what I managed so far. And no...for those of you wondering. There is no writer's block. This took me 3 hours...

**Chapter: 11**…

* * *

_**:Previously in Chapter 10...**_

_"I believe that my assumptions are right then. How is the new technician holding up?"_

_"Cut the act, you bastard. Where the hell are you now?"_

_"Still New York, I'm afraid. Why? Has anything gone wrong?"_

_"Nothings wrong with Tomoyo or your precious exhibit."_

_"Would this has something to do with a certain Miss Sakura?"_

_Li gripped the cell a little too tightly just then._

_"By your silence, I'm taking that as a yes."_

_"Get me someone else." Li replied curtly. "And make it happen fast. That's the least you can do for hiring me on this stress-load job and dealing with Tomoyo for 2 weeks while your out of commission."_

_"Again, I must be say, I am working out a business proposition with your company, Xiao Lang."_

_"Just when are you coming back then?"_

_"How say you to tomorrow?"_

* * *

Li snapped the cell back into his pocket.

Eriol was coming back?.... _Hmm... this can somehow make my life easier since a pregnant Tomoyo needs her husband..._

_Wait. A pregnant Tomoyo and Eriol....along with Kinomoto? _

Li shuddered at the thought.

"Just what I need. Those three together to mess up my life along with the exhibit. Why am I here again?"  
He sighed as he remembered the bonus promised after the next 3 weeks right along side the publicity.

"Right."

The last thing he needed for a reminder.

Ten long minutes of silent cursing, there was another vibration from his left pocket, "What??!"

"....Did I catch you on a wrong time Chef?"

Syaoran sighed as he ruffled his unruly hair. "What do you want, Junior?"

"Ah...well...you know, I could call at a b-better time. I'm sure you don't want to hear about this." Li's brow lifted a bit at this comment.  
_"Just tell the man the God damn news, Junior!" _another voice came from the line.

"What is it?" Li growled, already expecting the worse from the junior.

"We need you to come downtown. The director is with the cheif of police right now and--"

That was all Li needed to hear before he stormed out with a sea of curses.

x x x x x x x

Tomoyo sighed. The officers outside the office were rushing about the hallway trying to calm down a certain tyrant behind the door.  
She didn't need to hear his grunt and tense voice to recognize jusft who it was. "Just what I need."

She turned to the chef. "You called _him_ of all people?"

The chef barried himself under his desk trying to ignore the woman's scornful glare with his reports invain... "Mrs. Hiiragizzwa, your husband made it clear to me Mr. Li was to be reported of all issues regarding—"

Tomoyo droned out his voice. _Of course Eriol would. _

She prepared herself, _I need to calm down a certain vexed man._

x x x x x x x

"I don't like it," Li said, slouching in his chair he flew across the room not too long ago as he stared broodingly at a police report lying before him. "This makes three museums robbed within two weeks. This new gang is obviously greedy as hell, and I doubt they'll stop now."

Tomoyo smiled. "Did you really think they would?"

"No. No, I didn't"

It was very early, and they were in the chef's office after he left the two to discuss amungst themselves.

After a moment, Tomoyo said, "None of those museums have the kind of security being installed here. They made the mistake of heavily relying on their guards and simple door alarms. No lasers or sensor and no backup system for electrical failures."

Li shook his head,. "That isn't what's bothering me; I'll grant the museums' security was outdated. What I don't like is the _scale_. That gang of thieves came in life an army and stole everything they could carry. According to both your observations and police reports, they weren't in a rush, methodical, and very businesslike. Get in, get out. Sleek. No fingerprints or a single trace of hair out of place.

All we have is basic information, and most of that was supplied by you: a dozen men, on named Ed, who very efficiently stole items no self respecting fence would touch. That poits to a major collector, or cartel of them, being supplied by these thieves. And _that_ means nothing stolen is likely to surface again; the police haven't got a hope in hell of finding that stuff."

_The Talsman might surface_, Tomoyo thought.

Li turned. "What Talsman?"

Tomoyo felt like kicking herself for being caught. "Ah. Did I say—" she paused seeing Li's questioning glare.

Tomoyo cleared her throat and met his eyes again slowly. "The Taiban Talsman. The thieves—the _group_ of thieves—didn't get that. Someone else did."

Li's brow quirked. "Who?"

"Lupin."

Li sat up with a jerk, staring at her. "Lupin? _Christ_... He was there last night?"

Nodding briefly, Tomoyo said, "He was there. I didn't tell the police because...well, because if it hadn't been for him, that gang would have causght me and probably wouldn't have been nice about it."

"I thougt they didn catch you," Li managed slowly, not trusting himself for the rest.

"No. They knew I was there, and they weren't very happy about it, but they didn't seem too worried either. It was after they'd gone that I was tied up. Lupin did that...I...made a fuss when he decided to steal the Talsman, so he tied me to the displace case"

"Did you see his face?"

Tomoyo sighed wistfully. _I wish. "_No, he was wearing a ski mask. He wouldn't tell me what he'd come there to steal originally, he just said that when he discovered he wasn't the only thief in the building—and was outnumbered—he decided to stay out of their way."

Li looked at her steadily for a moment, then said, "You seem to have had quite the conversation with him."

Tomoyo flushed a little but continued to meet his gaze. "I can't really explain, except that I didn't feel threatened by him. I mean, I wasn't afraid of him at all. He was even sort of charming—and _don't_ remind me he's no better than the oters. I know that, believe me.

It's just that if I'd told the police, if only would have complicated things and, besides, it sounded so improbable. It doesn't make a difference, does it? The only item he took was the Talsman, and if he fences that it's bound to surface, so—"

"You know better than that, Tomoyo. If the dagger _does_ surface, it could well lead the police off on a wild goose chase. It coult indicate to them that all the other items could be fenced as well, so they'd concentrate on the wrong assumption."

"Common thieves versus collectors." Tomoyo nodded with a sigh. "I know, I know. I obviously wasn't thinking straight."

Syaoran eyed her thoughtfully, then shrugged. "It probably won't make all that mfust difference in the end. The police have to follow standard procedure in robbery cases., which means they'll keep an eye on konwn fences. Not really much else they can do without a solid suspect.

If the Talsman surfaces alone, they'll try to follow that lead as a matter of course—but they won't go off track for long."

He paused for an instant, then added, "If you had blown the whistle about Lupin being there, it probably wouldn't have made a difference in the way the police work the case. If Lupin's in this country, the police'll know about it soon enough."

"I guess out police would know about him, wouldn't they? But they wouldn't know any more than the information Interpol provides on their watch list."

"Porbably not. They'll know his M.O., the alias he uses, the sort of artworks and gems he tends to go after." Li spoke rather absently, his frowning gaze fixed on the desk.

"Wasn't a journalist in France responsible for that alias? I mean, didn't the journalist start using tha name Lupin to describe this particular thief because it meant wise and intelligent, or something like that?"

"If I remeber rightly, the journalist claimed he'd recieved a note from thfe thief after a big robbery, and it was signed Lupin. The police was sure it actually came from him, but the name stuck. It was later on that somebody decided he'd chosen the alias because of what it meant."

"Do you think he did?"

"I doubt the note came from him at all. Stupid to claim responsibility for a robbery and give the police a chance to start building a file on him. And I've never heard he was stupid."

"The journalist—or someone else—trying to get more newsprint out of robbery?"

"Maybe. Probably. In any case, it was the beginning of all the.. smokes and mirrors around Lupin and his activities. I always figured myth got a lot bigger than the man."

Tomoyo wasn't too sure about that, but wasn't about to say so. Instead she said, "He is supposed to be good, though. Very, very good at what he does."

"Being active and at large for a decade, he damned well has to be good."

After a slight hesitation, Tomoyo said, "There haven't been any reported robberies by Lupin in Eastern Asia until now; I checked. He came here, Li. Straight here, to Tokyo. And he knew I was the director of the Eriol's exhibit. I don't know what he was doing at the other museum last night—but I think we should assume the Troy collection is his ultamate target."

"Great," Li bit out grimly. "That's just great."

"Its not a completely an unexpected problem," Tomoyo pointed out.

"We've known all along the exhibit would be a target. And it certainly is a big enough target to tempt even an international thief like Lupin. But it doesn't change anything. You said it yourself; all we can do is make it difficult as possible for any thief, or group of thieves, to get to thef exhibit. And you know Eriol gave us full authority to do whatever it takes."

"Yeah, but I wish he'd consider canceling. I'm more than a little inclined to call him again and try my hand at persuading him to."

Tomoyo smiled warmly. "You know him better than I do," Tomoyo said. "But from all he's said to me, I don't think it's an option."

"No, probably not."

"Besides, he's on a business trip. He'll be back in a couple of weeks, still well before the collection is moved from the vault and long before the exhibit is due to open. Maybe by then we'll have something a little more definite to tell him."

"You _saw_ Lupin, Tomoyo. Talked to him, even. How much more definite could that be?"

"He only told me that's who he was. Maybe he was lying."

"Is that what you think?"

She hesitated, then swore under her breath. "No. I think it was Lupin. But we still don't know for sure that he's after the collection. We can assume, but we don't know for sure. He could decide to take advantage of all the attention being focused on the exhibit to rob somebody else."

"Uh-huh."

"Okay, chances are good he's after the collection."

Li stared at her.

"More than good," she admitted reluctantly.

"I'd say pretty damned certain."

Tomoyo sighed, "Yeah." She gathered her copies of police reports and various notes and stacked them neatly on her case. "Well, I'm getting on the horn to the security company right now. If their bright boys and girls konw any tricks we haven't planned for security here, I want to know what they are. If we have to, we'll turn this place into a regular Fort Knox."

"I hear that."

x x x x x x x

Li stared at her, all content in the leather chair over enveloping her small frame.

For the life in him, he couldn't think of what to say.

Sensing him by the doorway, Sakura turned and smiled slightly. "Hey Li. Did something happen with you and our beloved exhibit director?"

He couldn't help but scowl. And, even more, he knew he was only making matters worse by his outward attitude now. It wasn't as if he was hiding anything. He was in a rotten mood, and everyone knew it.

Part of him wanted to hang on to that mood, because it provided a sort of insulation between his turbulent feelings and the cause of all that chaos—her.

But, as usual, her lazy voice and vivid face had the trick of both facination and irritating him until he found himself answering her taunts and jabs instead of letting them roll off his back.

Like now for instance.

"Little bit under the weather, Li? Get up on the wrong side of the bed? Or maybe you just had a hard time sleeping last night?"

"None of the above" he bit out. "And if that last one was a passing reference to the haunting effect of your charm—"

"It was."

Distracted, he retorted, "Don't you have an ounce of feminine guile?"

"Not even a spoonful," Sakura said with a faintly wistful expression that was disarming.

Syaoran tried not to let himself be disarmed. "Well, cultivate it, why don't you? It's not exactly subtle to ask a man if you gave him a sleepless night."

"Maybe not, but I'm curious. Did I?"

Somewhat grimly, Li replied, "I wouldn't answer that if it was my ticket to heaven."

Sakura smiled at him. "You just did. Why, Li, I had no idea my—charms, did you day?—were so potent."

He drew a deep breath and tried to hold on to his temper, his resolve, and his wits—in pretty must that order. "Look, I didn't come in here to discuss anything except business."

"Chicken," she muttered.

Li gritted his teeth.

He was _not_ going to let her get to him again. He had enough women doing that already. No way. He was _completely_ in control!  
"I came in to look at that phone patch."

Sakura didn't respond for a moment, since the computer's beep announced the need for a new CD installment.

She got the machine busily working again in matter of seconds before returing her steady gaze to him.

Between his refusal to admit anything unusual had happened between them and the fact that she'd had way too much coffee, it probably shouldn't have surprised Sakura to feel a rush of dangerous recklessness.

In fact, it didn't surprise her, because she was completely caught up in the impulse.

She didn't get up from her chair. Instead, she pushed it back a foot or so and slightly to one side, leaving just enough room—just barely enough room—for Li to crawl underneath the desk.

She produced a flashlight from a bottom drawer of the desk, set it on top, and then sat back in her chair and smiled, "Be my guest."

x x x x x x x

If Li hesitated, it was only for a second.

He came around the desk, picked up the flashlight and went down on one knee.  
"Where is it?" he asked somewhat tauntly.

"Left side, toward the front of the desk," Sakura answered sweetly. "Where the phone lines are run up through the floor."

_And closer to her._ Li thought absently.

Sakura was pushing it, and she knew it. She had no business acting this way. Especially when shfe had to acknowledge that it was entirely possible that he felt nothing for her except a male's virtually automatic temptation for an attractive and available female.

And, anyways, she had a job to do, dammit.

A job that included lying to him.

Li breathing softly, taking great care not to come in close contact, came out from under the desk briskly and sat back on his heels.

Turning off the flashlight, he set it on the desk and said, "You were right; it does look like it was done in a hurry." He didn't meet her eyes.

They were so close to each other that Sakura's knee was touching the brown leather covering his arm. She didn't want to talk about phone patches but had no choice.

"It wouldn't have taken long. Three, five minutes if they knew what they were doing." She watched a muscle bunch underneath the tan skin of his jaw and wondered if it was due to anger or something else.

Syaoran started to get up, but he turned toward her as he went onto one knee, until they were almost facing each other—and froze when, without thinking, she reached out to him.

Her fingertips touched his dark shirt.

Li turned slowly the rest of the way until they faced each other completely. His hands lifted to her denim-covered knees, the weight of them wam and hard. She didn't resist when he eased her legs apart, or when his hands slowly slid up the outsides of her thighs to her hips and pulled her toward him.

It was a starkly erotic position, and everything female in Sakura responded wildly.

Her inner thighs pressed against his sides just at his waist, and her hands lifted to his shoulders. They were almost eye to eye.

A warm breath clashing against his skin, she whispered, "Did I give you a sleepless night, Li?"

"Yes, dammit," Syaoran breathed, his voice as rough as the surface of granite but not hard at all.

Cutely she turned her head to the side confused, "But I'm not your type. How could I disturb your sleep?"

"You're going to make me admit it, aren't you?"

She managed a smile, "I'm just asking a simple question."

"Then I'll answer it." His head bent toward her, his eyes focused on her lips, and his voice roughened even more. "I'm taking your advice—broadening my horizons."

"It's about time," Sakura whispered, just before his mouth covered hers. She forgotten all about the unlocked door and wouldn't have cared very much if someone had reminded her.

Li had forgotten their lack of privacy himself.

The way she was moving against him sent his already burning desire soaring until he was on the verge of completely losing control.

He probably wouldn have given up the struggle, but the clear tone of the computer's beep, so alien as it intruded on flesh-and-blood passions, recalled him at least partially to his senses. (AU: stupid computer. Just had to break it up.)

The machine was indicating its greedy need for more information—and to Li it was a glaring reminder of where they were.

With an effort that nearly killed him, Li put his hands on her shoulders and eased her back away from him. Trying to control his voice so it didn't sound so rough, he said, "Sakura, we can't. Not here."

"No," she said huskily, "I suppose not." Flushed herself, Sakura very slowly drew her arms from around his neck, letting her hands drop to her thighs.

"We can go somewhere," Li whispered, making it a question, his voice low. "My place is closest."

Sakura looked at hims for a long moment in silence, her eyes clear now, as direct and honest as usual, and the faintly ironic drawl was back when she sighed and said, "You aren't going to like this, I'm afraid."

"I'm not going to like what?"

"What I have to say."

Li released her shoulders and slowly sat back on his heels.

A number of possibilities flitted through his mind, but what they all boiled down to was simple: _she wasn't going with him back to his place_.  
"And that is?"

Sakura didn't flinch at the hardness of his voice, and she didn't look away from his suddenly stony face. "We both know I'm only going to be here a few weeks at most, then I'm gone to my next assignment—probably out of the country."

He nodded slightly, waiting.

She drew a quick breathm the only sign yet that this was more difficult for her than she was letting on. "Maybe to you, the situation seems to be tailor made for an affair. And maybe it is. I can't say I'd be...entirely unwilling. We both know _that_. But I know something else, Li. I know myself. And I know there's a line I won't cross. An affair is one thing, but what I refuse to be is a one-night stand—or even a three day fling.

I won't be a toy you play with for a while until you see the next one in a store window somewhere. I'm no Barbie doll."

"I know that," he said evenly.

"Do you?"

"Yes." Syaoran wanted to reach out for her again but wouldn't let himself. "So what do you want from me? A promise?"

"No. I just have to know this means something to you, something other than having one more bedmate to add to the list. Once we settle that, I'll never bring up the subject again, no matter what happens between us. But I have to be sure of that must before this goes any further. I _have_ to."

Looking into her grave eyes, he knew she wouldn't back down. If she said there was one answer she needed from him before she was prepared to go any further, then that was precisely what she meant.

He also knew that if he hadn't stopped, she wouldn't have asked for that answer, and the knowledge was maddening to him.

She wasn't asking for very much, but it was more than he was prepared to give (AN: dumbass). He wasn't ready to examine his own feelings about her, and be sure as hell wasn't ready to make any kind of a commitment. Even one lasting only a few weeks.

Li got to his feet slowly and moved away from her, around the desk.

He wished he could have said something flippant or careless, but that was beyond him. Instead, because he couldn't think of anything else, he simply ignored everything except business.

"I haven't made up my mind about using that tapped phone lines as a trap. Am I wrong in assuming it doesn't become any kind of threat to the museum or the new exhibit until the program is completely written and loaded?"

"No, you aren't wrong." Her voice was as calm as his had been. "Anyone with enough expertise to tap into the line would know better than to try and find a hole in an incomplete security system. The holes don't become visible until the entire plan can be studied. There's really no possibility of a threat to the Troy collection until the new system is complete and on line."

"Then leave the patch in place and I'll let you know," he said briefly. Without looking back, Li left the room.

He closed the door behind him, and Sakura gazed at it somewhat blindly as she sat back in her chair. She didn't want to think about much of anything, least of all why she'd issued an ultimatum to Li, but it was impossible not to.

She'd done it out of a sense of honesty, knowing herself too well not to believe that a brief fling with Li would've been hideously destructive to her—and she would've struck out at him in her pain.

So she asked for more than a fling.

That was simple enough, clear and the truth.

What was more complicated, and less clear, was her other reason for trying to stop the headlong rush toward consummated passion.

It also had to do with honesty. Or, rather, the lack thereof.

It had to do with duplicity.

She'd also asked becase she knew it was too soon, that he would draw away—perhaps for good.

She had deliberately used his reluctance to stop something over which she seemed to have very little control.

Not very honest, perhaps, but Sakura was only trying—rather desperately—to avoid a must greater deceit.

If they became lovers, the question of trust became increasingly important. Once intimate, it was likely Li would trust her more and more.

And **that** was what she was afraid of. As long as he was evenly mildly suspicious of her, or at least a bit wary, she couldn't really hurt him with her lies.

But what would happen if they were lovers when he discovered the truth?

Looking at her silent, watchful cat—who had more or less turned himself into a tactful statue while Li was in the room—Sakura heard herself murmur, "I should tell him the truth, shouldnt' I?"

Kero sneezed, which was his way of expressing a negative opinion, and Sakura sighed tiredly.

He was right.

She couldn't do that.

Too much was at stake.... but it would have been so easy.

All she really had to do was to tell Li camly not to worry about the phone patch; the tap only looked as if it went into a phone line. That was how it was supposed to look.

She should know, after all.

It was _her_ handiwork.

x x x x x x x

* * *

**millenniumsnow:** please please please update!! i REALLY want to read more. XD

**AN:** I'm glad your enjoying yourself in this story of mine. I just hope this chapter isn't too much of a dissapointment?

**Fallen from the sky:** LOL syaoran is so confused, its extremely amusing. Now im curious as to what sakura is hiding!

**AN**: ditto.

**Mrs. Radcliffe 13: **So many twists. I don't know what direction is out anymore...

**AN: **Yay!

**Freedec12: **This must be the first story where we have to guess who the good guys are...well mostly, that is to say...  
Best was the the way the dark scenes were projected in a comical way...3 cheers for that...  
Update!  
**  
AN:** Thank you for your pointers^^ I must've been rushing that week or something.

**CheeseyCraziness:** Ooh, Fallen's got a good point! Kaito... Hehehe.. Great description.f  
Hmm... Loving the SxS, hating it simultaneously because Sakura's so upset over it... Still want to know what's up... Grr...  
CRAZY!

**AN:** Ehehehe. My minds ticking away as I think of the end for this story

**SnowCharms: **I really like this story, and am very envious of your writing style, but am not too pleased with some of your spellings and grammar. Then again it doesn't really matter, since the more important aspect is the writing style and the plot...However, if it's not Eriol I will skin you alive and slice off your appendages with a scapel and feed them to wild bears in front of your eyes and boil you alive for stew!

**AN:** ^^ every chapter usually is the result of about 3 hours of fast typing so bound to be errors :P oh. and if by some way, Eriol is not Lupin, please do not resort to manslaughter?


	13. Chapter: 12

**Title:** The Misguided Fool

**AN: **This chapter will mainly focus on Tomoyo... let's remember her current "state", if you recall the previous chapters. Another foreshadow may have people after my throat, hehe.

**Chapter:** 12... What's to be expected

* * *

**_Previously in Chapter 10..._**

_She had deliberately used his reluctance tof stop something over which she seemed to have very little control._

_Not very honest, perhaps, but Sakura was only trying—rather desperately—to avoid a must greater deceit._

_If they became lovers, the question of trust became increasingly important. Once intimate, it was likely Li would trust her more and more._

_And **that** was what she was afraid of. As long as he was evenly mildly suspicious of her, or at least a bit wary, she couldn't really hurt him with her lies._

_But what would happen if they were lovers when he discovered the truth?_

_Looking at her silent, watchful cat—who had more or less turned himself into a tactful statue while Li was in the room—Sakura heard herself murmur, "I should tell him the truth, shouldnt' I?"_

_Kero sneezed, which was his way of expressing a negative opinion, and Sakura sighed tiredly._

_He was right._

_She couldn't do that._

_Too much was at stake.... but it would have been so easy._

_All she really had to do was to tell Li camly not to worry about the phone patch; the tap only looked as if it went into a phone line. That was how it was supposed to look._

_She should know, after all._

_It was her handiwork._

x x x x x x x

* * *

"Ah, my cute little descendent… to what pleasure do I make to this call?"

Li glared at the phone, and punched the speaker phone on. He had just made a call to Eriol after his shower—which didn't do much to clear his thoughts from the previous… experience.

He had the feeling that having anything in hand would just be used as a vent for his state as of the moment, just like the wet towel across the room.

"Cut the crap Eriol. You probably know by now what's happening down here in Tokyo."

"Of course I do… but I didn't expect your call until a while later… perhaps this is a different issue altogether? A certain _technician_ perhaps?"

_Like hell I'd confess to you._

"By your silence, I take it Miss Kinomoto is taking much toll on you."

Li didn't like the tone of his voice. It was as though the bastard was mocking him.

"Admit that you had something to do with the choice, you bastard."

"Please, Li. I don't spend my life arranging for your perfect match. That is Tomoyo's appointed expertise."

"Which means, either ways, you had your share of involvement."

"Has something happened that I'm not aware of, Li?"

"…"

"We are all aware of your …_preferences_ of women, Xiao lang. Perhaps, you are angry to be effect so much by a woman… beyond your standards for the first time. Or maybe a woman that does beyond the basis of attraction?"

"Shut the hell up and tell me when you'll get back."

Eriol chuckled. "Anxious to escape I see… Well, as promised I've had Margret book my plane to Tokyo and will arrive by late tomorrow evening_._"

"You heard about the rumors, Hiirazwa?"

"What rumors exactly, Li?"

"Lupin. Tomoyo had the pleasure herself with the bastard. He's out of Europe and in my backyard."

"Ah… that does pose a threat, now doesn't it?"

"It's your exhibit. But I'd reconsidering—"

"There's no need for delays, Xiao Lang."

"There's a gang of thieves emptying museums, and an internationally renowned thief at our doors and you _still_—"

"No need to get excited Xiao Lang. I am also aware of our situation. However, I expected no less at the start."

Li threw his shirt in frustration. "Are you fu—"

"Now, now… this is no time to lose your self over such trivial matters, Xiao Lang. The prior opening to the exhibit will be brief and end very quickly where the collection will be sent to Seoul, in South Korea and out of your hands in matter of weeks."

"Reconsider, knowing your wife's in the middle of this mess."

"I have no doubt she is able to take care of herself for the time being. If not, Meiling and you are doing an adequately well. It is something that I've vowed to complete."

"Mr. Hiirazawa, your needed in the appointment in 5." An airy voice interrupted them both.

"It appears I'm needed, Xiao Lang and need to cut short."

"Don't you dare—"

But before Li could protest, the line was cut and all he could hear was the repetitive beeping of the discarded connection.

x x x x x x x

Tomoyo ran into Li just outside the hallway where the office spaces were locked, and even though the scowl on his face didn't invite discussion or even greetings, she happily waded in where even angels would have been wary.

"You called Eriol again, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I called him."

"Let me guess… by look of things, he refused to even consider canceling the exhibit."

Li's scowl deepened. "He won't even consider delaying the opening."

"And you're pissed."

Since she was more or less barring his way, Li was forced to reply. "Of course I'm pissed at Eriol," he replied.

Tomoyo lifted her eyebrow.

"Alright, so I'm pissed. He's hidebound about keeping his promises, even when it might be better—" Li sighed explosively. "Never mind. It isn't my collection, I just work for the people who insure it."

"Ours not to reason why?"

"Something like that. Anyway, at the moment I'm more…irritated…by _Kinomoto_ back there. No matter how smooth she is, with the date that she set, she's way over her head and won't admit it."

That was a lie.

"If you keep calling her that way, I'm not surprised she won't admit anything to you… although… with what I've seen between you two, I don't think that's what's bugging you."

"It's not?"

Tomoyo sighed. "Yes, its not. And no matter how young and… petite she may be, she's an expert."

"Yeah. Supposed to be one of the best Ace Security has, but you can't prove it to me."

This was more directed to himself. "Uh-huh. Do you know enough about computers to be sure she's making a screw up, or is this just you talking?"

"It has nothing to do with me personally."

Another lie.

"Sure." Her tone hinted a doubt in seriousness. "Whatever you say… just don't bother her like you did Michael."

"Who me?"

Tomoyo gave him a look. "Yeah, you. Mind you, I enjoy the show whenever you're breathing fire and raining brimstone, but I imagine it isn't all that conductive to exacting technical work."

"If she can't take the heat," Li retorted, "there's no place for her in this job. Security isn't a place for weaklings."

"Whatever you say. Hey…Li? You've been in security awhile, right?"

"About a decade or so; what's up?"

Tomoyo hugged her clipboard and tired her best to look only mildly curious. "I was just wondering if you'd run into Lupin before now."

Li looked at her steadily, his face peculiarly unexpressive. Then, in a voice that was also rather impassive, he said, "Couple of years ago. I was staying in a private home in London. Got up in the middle of the night looking for something to read, and caught Lupin with his hand in the safe."

"Christ." That was rather more than what Tomoyo had expected. "What happened?"

With a short laugh, Li answered, "Nothing much. He got away. It wasn't what I recall as one of my finer moments."

"Well…he's pretty slippery, by all accounts. I mean, you can't blame yourself for not being able to catch him when Interpol hasn't been able to all these years."

"Thanks," Li said dryly.

"Didn't make you feel any better about it, did I?"

"No, but don't worry about it, Tomoyo… if you've got the idea that Lupin is some kind of romantic figure—"

Feeling her face get hot, she instantly said, "No, of course not. I know he's a thief."

"And not a Robin Hood sort of thief," Li reminded her. "He's not robbing the rich to feed the poor."

"I know. I know that. I'm just curious, that's all. Meeting him the way I did…"

"I hear he can be pretty charming when he wants to. But think about why he might want to, Tomoyo. You're the director of the Troy Collection exhibit. The one person who knows just about everything there is to know about it."

"A valuable source of information," she murmured.

"For a thief, the absolute best source: you pointed out yourself that he came straight here, straight to Tokyo—straight to the future of the Troy collection."

Tomoyo squared her shoulders and nodded. "Yeah."

"Maybe it's not such a coincidence that you ran into him last night."

That did surprise her. "I don't see how it could have been anything else. He was in the museum long before I got there after hours. And no one knew (Tomoyo's date's name) would take me there after hours. _I_ didn't even know, until we were in the car."

Li shrugged. "Okay, maybe so. Just keep in mind that there aren't too many coincidences with somebody like Lupin on the scene. From all I hear, he has the knack of manipulating people and events to suit his own purposes."

"I hear that," she admitted.

"Believe it. He wouldn't have been so successful for so many years if he hadn't learned to turn any situation to his own advantage. And if he's good enough, you'll never know he's pulling the strings. Things aren't always the way they appear to be.

"Does that go for people, too?"

Li's smile was wry. "Definitely for people. Most people have their own agenda; you've lived long enough to know that. We both know what Lupin's agenda has to be. All I'm saying is don't get caught up in the myth of him. At the end of the day, a thief is a thief—Period."

"Yes," Tomoyo said. "I know."

Several hours passed. The slow process of converting an outdated system continued; Li was in and out, sometimes clearly harassed but usually his rather laconic self, and Tomoyo dealt briskly with the myriad details of her job.

Then after what seemed like another collision between Li and a certain technician, Tomoyo found herself cornered by him. He needed a date on sort notice for a dinner party tonight, hosted by a friend of Eriol's, a man who was very influential patron and collector in the art world. T

he party was a benefit to raise money for a struggling art school in the city, and according to the society pages the elite of Tokyo were expected to attend.

Tomoyo had done administrative work for another art museum as well as for a foundation based in Tokyo and Seoul, so she tended to be on the guest list for the benefits and parties connected to the art world, but she had pretty much decided not to go until Li asked her.

If he was interested enough in the party—or the guests—to want to attend, then she wanted to be there as well.

After what he'd said, she was reasonably sure Li was convinced that the gang of thieves by the charming **Ed** had behind them at least one art collector, and possible several of them.

So it made sense he'd want to get a good, close-up look at as many collectors as possible, all conveniently gathered together under one roof as if for his inspection.

As for Tomoyo being his date, she understood that as well.

Not being at all his usual type—long-leggy blondes—she wouldn't distract him from business.

And if, by chance, he met someone there who did distract him, Tomoyo would be sure to understand.

And take a cab home.

"I even brought the fare with me," she told him cheerfully on the evening as he drove them to the party.

"Tomoyo, I'm not planning on abandoning you."

"Oh I'm sure you're not. But just in case you decide later, I thought you should know that I'm prepared."

Li shook his head but didn't bother to argue with her. "I want to talk to some of these collectors. It's purely a business evening for me."

"If you say so. Does Takashi know you and Eriol are cousins?"

"I doubt it." Li shrugged. "Since I wasn't raised here, and Eriol doesn't really talk about family, I doubt many people know. Not that it's a secret, it just hasn't come up."

"I only know because Eriol told me why he trusted you more than any other representative of his company to handle security for the exhibit. He said you'd been raised by you'd been raised by your elders and hadn't gotten to know each other until about eleven years ago."

"True enough."

"He also said your mother was an amazing woman and that he was somewhat terrified of her."

Li grinned faintly. "Also true… She could command armies, my mother. You'd never know it to look at her, but she brings the term 'iron hand in a velvet glove' to a whole new level. And had about five different kinds of charm. I've seen some of the most powerful men in the world following along behind her like besotted idiots."

"Eriol said your father and his had both remained friendly with her with the connections."

"Mother never makes enemies, especially family—no matter how distant or annoying."

Tomoyo had to laugh. "She sounds fascinating. I'd love to meet her one day. Eriol said she travels?"

"Yeah—last I heard, she was either in New Orland or Vancouver somewhere in Canada."

"Any chance she might be heading this way?"

"God knows."

Perceptively, Tomoyo said, "You don't want her here, do you?"

"While this collection has the potential to draw every villain in the country to our doorsteps? No."

"You know, I hadn't thought about it quite that way."

"I had," Li said, turning his rented sports car into the long driveway of Takashi's Sea cliff mansion. "I had."

x x x fx x x x

Tokyo was famous for a number of things, including the Tokyo Radio tower, but since Lupin's interest was professional, what interest him were portable treasures—and the security systems that protected them.

Very good security systems.

It probably wasn't surprising, considering how long the city had housed some very wealthy people along with the leading technologies of the nation, that Tokyo boasted some of the newest and toughest security in existence—though the thought of a later visit to Seoul had his mind itching in excitement knowing the new level of challenge that laid ahead for him.

Takashi's mansion; however, was a mix of combinations of both nation's top technological advancement, whereas the security system would have shamed most banks.

From his vantage point on the roof of a building, nearly half a block away, Lupin watched the cream of Tokyo society arriving. His infrared binoculars gave him a close-up view of everyone, and he caught himself mentally calculating the dollar worth of some of the jewels adorning some of those sleek, well-tones bodies.

The staggering total he arrived at was immensely tempting, but even more so when added to the probable value of what else he knew the mansion contained: Takashi's private collection of artworks and artifacts.

Lupin lowered his binoculars and sighed. A private home stuffed with valuables and playing host to every art collector in the city.

Pity one couldn't just throw a net over the whole building.

He laughed under his breath, then tucked the binoculars away in his tool belt and bid a reluctant farewell to all that tempting wealth.

For now, at least.

He was on the point of turning away when he stopped suddenly and returned his gaze to the drive and joined others in the circular car park. As Lupin watched, a man and woman got out and joined the other guests going into the house.

Lupin didn't reach for his binoculars.

He didn't have to.

He didn't need his eyes to tell what his other sense already had.

So… Tomoyo was also a guest. Not that it surprise Lupin; she was very well known among collectors and people connected to museums, aside from knowing Takashi through his friend, Eriol.

Lupin waited until they vanished into the brightly lit mansion, then turned away. He was frowning a little but didn't hesitate again, leaving his rooftop perch and making his way to the unassuming sedan parked nearby.

He didn't staff the car immediately, but instead pulled out his cell phone and made a call. "Yes?."

"I'm a bit surprised you aren't at the party tonight," Lupin said. "Everyone else is."

"Like you, I have other things to do."

"Any luck getting the technical schematics I asked for?"

"Not so far. I can't just ask for them, remember?"

"I don't have to remind you that time is ticking away."

"No, you don't have to remind me. Just as I'm sure I don't have to remind you that this situation is getting more complicated with every day that passes. Security systems are being overhauled right and left, thanks to that gang walking off with everything they can carry. Even if I can get you the schematics, I can't guarantee they'll be up-to-date."

"Let me worry about that."

"You? Worry? Show me that face the next time you're wearing it, will you? Because I've never had the privilege of every coming across it."

Lupin chuckled. "Oh, I've a few concerns, believe me. That gang, for one. If their activities aren't stopped, and soon, armed guards are going to be standing elbow to elbow around anything of value in this city."

"And not even you could break through that line."

"Well, let's say I'd rather not have to try." Lupin barely paused. "I'm going to check out a few likely targets and then head back toward the museum. If you get your hands on those schematics, let me know. Sooner is better than later."

"Right."

Lupin ended the call and for a few moments considered his options. Then he shrugged and started the car.

If he had learned anything, it was that sometimes the universe had its own plan in mind, and a smart man learned how to go with the flow.

Lupin was a smart man.

x x x x x x x

Tomoyo was familiar with the exquisite painting and other pieces in Takashi's impressive collection but that didn't stop her from wandering through his beautiful house in order to look at them again.

She had noted without comment the presence of several unobtrusive plainclothes guards dressed as formally as the guests as they kept an eye on the valuables, and she took it for granted that display cases and paintings were protect by an invisible but no doubt extensive, security system.

That was a given.

She wound up, finally, back in the big front room where Takashi tended to hold court during his parties.

He was a very handsome and charming man in the late twenties, popular with both men

and women alike.

"Where's Li, Tomoyo?" Takashi asked.

"He abandoned me for a blonde." Tomoyo replied without rancor, and then giggled.

"He seems to be irresistibly drawn to them. I suppose I should have reminded him that the one he's dancing with how is a shark with a full set of teeth, but he's a big boy. I decided to let him fend for himself."

Takashi smiled at her. "Are you talking about Teresa?"

"The very same," she replied promptly. "Not only does she have a habit of snaring my dates without mercy, but she's tried it twice tonight to get my promise that she'll be allowed to see the _Troy collection_ even before the private showing to open the exhibit."

Takashi lifted a brow. "I should've thought she'd ask Eriol," he commented.

Tomoyo grinned. "She tried everything but blackmail Eriol for months and finally admitted defeat. She told me so. SO now it's my turn. Lots of sweet smiles and honeyed words." Shaking her head, Tomoyo added, "She also asked if Eriol would consider selling any piece of the collection. I thought everyone knew that answer."

"She knows," Takashi responded. "She just doesn't give up easily."

"Rabid collectors don't," Tomoyo agreed with a sigh. "Still, I hope she'll stop wasting her time on me. I have enough to worry about without her pestering me."

"Maybe she'll start to pester Li," Takashi said with a grin.

Tomoyo looked through the wide doorway into the ballroom and chuckled as she watched Li dancing through the wide doorway into the ballroom and chuckled as she watched Li dancing with the tall and stunning blonde. "Maybe she's already have."

Takashi murmured, "And as far as men are concerned, she's also extremely talented in various arts of… persuasion."

"Do you know that firsthand?" Tomoyo asked with a lurking smile.

In a meditative tone, Takashi said, "I turned down an offer of twenty five thousand for my Egyptian vase." He smiled, said, "Excuse me," and strolled away.

Tomoyo couldn't help but laugh as she watched her host move away.

Teresa had the Egyptian vase, and she had bragged publicly that she'd gotten it for fifteen thousand. Obviously, she had bartered the rest. To give the other woman credit, Tomoyo had to admit that Teresa was at least honest about her… _tactics_.

Since she was reasonably sure Li could hold his own with even a rabid collector who also happened to be a gorgeous blonde, Tomoyo was free to enjoy the party, which she did.

At least until Li got a call on his cell.

"So Eriol's arriving any time this week then?" Tomoyo said with a smile as Li's rental car neared her apartment.

"Yeah. Pretty much. The bastard didn't mind telling me that my duty for you comes first before any blonde. Not that he was the first to criticize my taste in women…" Li grumbled the last bit, which Tomoyo had no doubt been the after thought of Sakura.

She eyed him as he pulled the car to a stop at the curb in front of her building. "Ok, just out of curiosity—are you planning to meet Teresa later?"

Affably, he said, "Nosy, aren't you."

Hardly offended, Tomoyo replied "Yes. Are you going to answer that question?"

He sighed. "No, I'm not meeting Teresa later. As a matter of fact, I'm going back to the museum."

Tomoyo frowned. "Why?"

"To try to figure out what Eriol meant on his call. And because you're paranoia has infected me." He sounded distinctly irritable about it. "Believe me, I'd much rater spend the night with somebody other than armed security guards, but such is my life at the moment."

"You're going to stare there all night? And do what? Breathe down the guard's necks?"

"I just want to keep an eye on the place." He started to put the car in park, but Tomoyo stopped him. "No, you don't have to get out. This building is very sage and had great security. Listen; are you really worried or just humoring me?"

"I could have spent the night with Teresa. No offense, but humoring you would come in a distance second if those were my choices."

Not at all offended, Tomoyo unbuckled herself and opened the door by her side. "Alright, but I don't think you should push yourself to the company of blondes like Teresa. I get the feeling that you're beyond that stage now. "

"Eriol was pretty clear that I need to be in top shape with the security now that he was coming, and you've been putting in way too much hours in the museum lately than the exhibits have, so I feel like following you lead."

"Very funny."

"Look, Tomoyo, you've been putting in way too many hours and we both know Eriol won't like it. Besides, there really isn't anything you can do tonight. It'll be me and the guards tonight. You get some rest and I'll see you I the morning."

She leaned into the open window of the car. "You can't watch them all the time."

"No, but I can keep a very close eye on them at least until the new security system's up and running."

"Well, I know it won't do much for your social life, but I have to say it makes me feel better that you'll be watching the place."

Moody now, Syaoran replied, "I hate my job sometimes." Realizing that Teresa must have issued a pretty blunt invitation that Li had refused reluctantly, she fought to hide a grin "You're appreciated, believe me. Thanks for the ride—and for letting me wear you on my arm if only for a little while tonight."

"You're welcome," he said dryly.

Laughing, Tomoyo moved away from the sidewalk and went up the walkway to the apartment building's front door, letting herself in to the well-lit lobby. It was only then that she heard Li pull away from the curb and continue toward the museum just a few blocks away.

She started to take the stairs up to her apartment but hesitated with her hand still on the lobby door. It was the strangest feeling, as though she could—almost—hear someone calling her name.

She needed to go out there. And she needed to do it now.

Tomoyo looked down at her sleek silver dress and tiny evening purse, the white jacket that was hardly worthy of that name, and muttered, "This is stupid."

But when she went outside anyway and stood there on the well-lit walkway, looking slowly around. Not much to see, she thought. Couple of big trees casting deep shadows around the shrubbery…

One of the shadows stepped away from the shrubbery.

An oddly déjà vu shook her.

Tomoyo knew.

And so she moved towards him.

Again, he was dressed in all black, just like before, but the black gloves were tucked into the compact tool belt he wore and the ski mask was rolled up from the bottom so that when she reached him she could see his strong jaw, determined chin and amused smile.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded, then immfediately added, "If you mean to rob this building, you can be sure I'll tell the police _exactly_ who did it."

"You cut me to the quick, chérie. Would I be so base as to despoil the home of my adored?"

"Very funny," she snapped. "Forget the Don Juan act, because I'm not buying it. As for just how low you'd sink, let me put it this way. I'd hate to have your nerve in a tooth."

White teeth flashed in a brilliant smile as he laughed softly again. "Tomoyo, you are a delight."

She ignored what sounded suspiciously like a genuine and sincere compliment, because she suddenly realized something. "How did you know I live here?"

"Condominium 15," Lupin said lazily. "I followed you home the other time."

Tomoyo made a strong mental note to pay much more attention to those around her after this. He'd been near—probably unmasked—and she hadn't seen him?

"Well, don't do it again," she ordered irritably. "In case you hadn't realized, I don't want to have anything to do with you."

"I'm crushed," he murmured, then added, "You look stunning tonight, by the way, Tomoyo. Silver is definitely your colour."

She had totally forgotten the rather clingy dress and tried not to feel self-conscious that he had taken notice. "I've been to a party," she said, refusing to thank him for the compliment.

The compliment was common with Eriol, but oddly, hearing it from Lupin sent a chill through her.

"Yes, I saw the escort leave. _He_ didn't want to show you his etchings?"

"He's just a friend," Tomoyo heard her say.

She scowled at Lupin. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Of course not." He was still obviously amused. "Curiosity brought me here, Tomoyo. Why didn't you tell the police about my being in the museum the other night?"

Tomoyo hadn't expected to have to defend that decision to him, and she cast about frantically before coming up with something that would be a sensible answer. "I…told you at the time it sounded too damned unlikely to be believed. Besides, what you stole—what I think you stole—was nothing compared to what that gang walked out of there with. What does it matter, anyway?"

"As I said—curiosity." In an apologetic tone, he said, "I'm afraid I leaped to a conclusion. Hope springs eternal, you know. However, since you've made your feelings quite plain, I'll retreat to lick my wounds in private."

Tomoyo found herself hesitating and swore inwardly when she realized it; keeping her voice dry, said, "I told you to cut the act. First of all, you're a thief, which is something I'm not at all in sympathy with. Secondly, I happen to be the director of an exhibit that must be calling to you like a siren song. And thirdly, any woman would need her head examined, by an expert, if she for one single minute believed anything you said."

He was smiling again. "Suppose I were to say it wasn't an act, Tomoyo. Suppose I denied any interest in the Troy collection and assured you I am to be trusted completely."

"Bull." She said stolidly.

White teeth flashed again as Lupin smiled at her. "Very wise of you, Tomoyo. Very wise indeed."

Tomoyo eyed him with more uneasiness than she wanted him to see. "So you are after the collection."

"I didn't say that, sweet."

"Oh, yeah, like you'd really come right out and tell me the truth about it. Me, the director of said exhibit."

"That wouldn't be at all wise of me, would it?" Lupin said, in a tone of surprised realization.

He folded his arms across his chest and made a considering sound. "You're probably right, Tomoyo. Why don't we pretend the subject never came up?"

"Why don't we pretend that it did? Lupin, if you think I'm going to just stand by and let you get your thieving hands on the collection, you're insane."

"Well, actually, Tomoyo, you wouldn't be there at the time. Hypothetically speaking, of course."

"I mean—you know what I mean." She shook her head. "Why am I even standing here talking to you?"

"My question would be—why did you come out to talk to me?"

Tomoyo stared at him, conscious of a different uneasiness now. "I just…I thought I heard something."

"No," Lupin said.

"I did. I thought I heard a noise out here. That's why I came back outside."

"You didn't hear anything, sweet. I was standing here not making a sound."

"I didn't say it was you I heard," she snapped.

Lupin laughed softly. "You aren't going to admit it, are you Tomoyo?"

"Admit what?"

"Admit that you feel it when I'm nearby. That you can sense my presence."

"That's ridiculous. I don't—" Tomoyo stared at him, suddenly remembering her feeling of anxiety at different times in the museum. "Wait a minute. You haven't already found a way into the museum. Have you?"

"Do you really expect me to answer that?" he asked in mild surprise. But before she could respond, he did answer her question, his voice unusually serious. "I've been inside the museum during hours, like any other visitor. As for the night… lets just say I've been keeping an eye on most of the museums in this city."

"Picking your next target?"

"Trying to size up my competition. That gang we both encountered the other night."

"You know who's behind them?"

"No—not yet."

"And if you find out? What then? You'll tip the police to get them out of your way?"

He chuckled, "That would be the smart thing to do, wouldn't it?"

"Is that what you're planning, Lupin?"

"That," he answered, "depend on who's behind them, sweet."

"Stop calling me that, " she said, more or less automatically. "Do you think that gang has targeted the Troy collection?"

"I think it would be astonishing if they haven't. But it will be weeks yet before you need worry about them, sweet; or about me, for that matter. The Troy collection is still safely hidden away in the vaults that have protected if for decades."

"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel any better." Tomoyo said slowly. "I guess it would be…naïve of me to expect you to stay away from the collection just because I'm asking you to."

"Can you sense it when I'm near, Tomoyo?"

She stared up at him, caught by those vivid silver eyes, by that half smile that was more beguiling than it had any right to be.

"Can you?" His voice was soft but insistent.

"I…think I can. I don't know how or why, but—but I think I can," she answered finally.

Unexpectedly, Lupin caught one of her hands and lifted it, beding quickly and gracefully so that his lips brushed across her knuckles. Then he released her and stepped back, already blending back into the shadows…

But that white smile flashed again, and he chuckled. "Not naïve, sweet. But impractical. Stay away from one of the most priceless collections the world has ever known? What self respecting thief could?"

"Lupin—" But he was gone.

She knew.

She felt it.

Looking down at her hand he had kissed with such elegant charm, Tomoyo drew a shaky breath.

"Oh, shit."

* * *

**CheeseyCraziness**: Nicely done, Sakura-chan. You've gotten yourself into a fine mess, and I am NOT complaining. 3

**AN**: lol. there is more messy scenes to look forward to. Frustration-frustration...

**Blu**.**lotus**: I love the dialogue. I love Tomoyo's portrayal. I love how she interacts with Lupin. The subtle attraction is written well and adds an interesting element to the story. Most of all, I love the way you wrote that intense moment Sakura and Syaoron had. hot. haha!

**AN**: Probably no-one expected me to go about writting smutty scenes. But probably everyone wanted one^^

**Mrs. Radcliffe 13**: Maybe her brother is Lupin? Hm... Once again you are successfully pretzling the story. Just update sooner would ya.

**AN**: I will update more to date from now on and as a serial writter, every chapter must end with a twist or hang, right? I live to please my readers!

**freedec12**: Intriguing chapter as always...Sakura is a genius in here, sly and decisive...! Unlike Syaoran,who is quite predictable...  
Is Eriol ever coming back in town? More action and drama would be nice... Can't get enough of this story so just update!

**AN**: always a pleasure to hear from your reviews^^ I like your keen depection here. Lets just say a little **foil** is set in place for a reason. The title should also not be taken lightly.


	14. Chapter: 13

**Title:** The Misguided Fool

**AN: **Hi everyone, I'm back from my slump. Thank you for all your interest and support!

**Chapter: **13... Intensity

* * *

_**Previously in Chapter 12...**_

_"Can you sense it when I'm near, Tomoyo?"_

_She stared up at him, caught by those vivid silver eyes, by that half smile that was more beguiling than it had any right to be._

_"Can you?" His voice was soft but insistent._

_"I…think I can. I don't know how or why, but—but I think I can," she answered finally._

_Unexpectedly, Lupin caught one of her hands and lifted it, beding quickly and gracefully so that his lips brushed across her knuckles. Then he released her and stepped back, already blending back into the shadows…_

_But that white smile flashed again, and he chuckled. "Not naïve, sweet. But impractical. Stay away from one of the most priceless collections the world has ever known? What self respecting thief could?"_

_"Lupin—" But he was gone._

_She knew._

_She felt it._

_Looking down at her hand he had kissed with such elegant charm, Tomoyo drew a shaky breath._

_"Oh, shit."_

x x x x x x x

* * *

Lupin was a theif.

Tomoyo knew that.

And Stealing was wrong. She knew that too.

A part of her even knew he was certainly a dangerous man, entirely capable of ruthlessness and quite probably capable of much worse.

She _knew_.

But there was somethine else she knew-and he knew, damn his eyes.

Tomoyo knew there was, somehow, a connection between the two of them.

She didn't want to call it affinity, though it probably was, of a certain kind: an affinity of mind and wit, of humour, of swift understanding. Whatever it was, in a single night in a darkened, tense museum, it had very quickly created a bond, and that bond had left behind it an awareness that, try as she might, she couldn't deny existed.

He had made her admit she could sense his presence, and once that admission was out in the open, Tomoyo found herself trying to do just that. The scary thing was that at least once on Monday morning, she was absolutely positive Lupin was in the musuem-and watching her.

But it was a very busy morning, and with so many people around, she couldn't pick him out of the crowd.

Not, she thought irritably, that he'd _let_ her pick him out of the crowd.

"Tomoyo, can you-Hey, sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."

She hugged her clipboard and stared up at Li. "Its okay. I was just...dozing off."

Eyeing her, he said, "Seemed to me you were looking for somebody."

"No. No, I was just lost in thought. Did you need me for something?"

"Yeah, I need that list you ahve of all the workmen we have building the display cases."

"Why? They've all been approved by you and Eriol."

Li shrugged, "I know, but I want to run another security check. Better safe than sorry."

Tomoyo searched through the thick stack of papers her clipboard held, then smoothly slipped out the list Li requested. "Here you go. I have another copy in my files,m so you can keep this one."

"Great, thanks."

She knew she shouldn't ask, shouldn't even bring up the subject, but heard herself saying it anyways. "Li...do you think Lupin really is planning to steal part of the collection?"

"With his nerve, he may well be planning to steal all of it."

"One man couldn't _carry_ all of it!" As ludicrulous as it sounded, she thought about it and felt uneasy. "At least, not without absolutely no guards to worry about and an entire night with the doors wide open. And a big truck."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't put it past him. We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"

"I guess so." Tomoyo watcehd him head back toward the offices, adding under her breath, "We'll just have to wait and see."

x x x x x x x

By Monday night, Naomi had once again talked herself out of running.

He was watching, he'd said so.

She called herself many kinds of fool, but it didn't help the fear.

So she had obeyed him at request, and somehow managed to get hte information he demanded.

"Well?" He appeared out of the shadows, and suddenly, as usual.

Naomi handed over the disk. "This is all the material you asked for."

"Including the security system for the museum and the Mysteries Past exhibit?"

"Everything I could get my hands on."

There was an unsettling pause before their eyes met. "You didn't leave any evidence behind, did you, Naomi?"

"No." Naomi swallow, feeling the sweat at the back of her nape, and cleared her throat for reassurance. "No, I'm sure I didn't. I was careful."

"I hope so." His eyes remained on her.

Naomi drew a breath. "You have..everything you asked for. But I thought I should warn you that-that some of the security systems will be updated probably by the next two weeks. I mean, they always are. To keep the technology current and-and anybody trying to break in off balance. Just so you know."

He laughed softly, sending chills to her bones. "Don't worry, Naomi. I'm not quite finisehd with you yet. As long as you can provide your usefulness for me, that is."

"I...I will!"

"I'm sure, Naomi. I know you will." And with a smile, he was gone.

x x x x x x x

Sakura smothered a yawn with one hand while she used the other to key a brief command into the system. It began humming busily, bedient to her touch.

_If only I could input the commands for today in a system, _Sakura thought carelessly_._

"Yarr," Kero commented from his position atop the desk.

"Not so loud." Sakura lifted her coffee muc and sipped the steaming liquid catiously. It was her forth cup since arriving at the museum at half past seven, and the caffeine was only now kicking in an hour later.

Normally, she limited herself to one cup a day, since caffeine had the peculiar effect of making her more reckless than usual, but she told herself that this one time it was more important to wake up and function with something approaching a normal efficiency than to worry about being reckless.

A night's sleep had done little to combat her jet lag, and she felt like she was moving through a fog.

In addition, she hated mornings just on principle, so her mood wouldn't have been much improved even if she was in top form.

Sakura hoped Syaoran woudln't come into the computer room anytime soon. She hadn't yet seen him this morning, and that was fine with her.

If he discovered just how punchy she was first thing in the morning, he was certainly both smart and ruthless enough to take advantage of it.

She had dreamed about him last night...

First was an incredibly erotic interlude between them as lovers, and the, in one of those crazy, topsy-turvy changes, common in dreams, the scene had turned into something else.

She'd been in a peculiar king od classroom, feverishly writing mathematical formulas on a blackboard draped with glittering gems, while she told herself out loud, over and over, that she had to do her job.

Then another change of scene and she was running, hiding, while Li, enraged, hunted her through a creepy jungle filled with computer caples instead of vines; he kept yelling that she'd betrayed him.

Sakura had awakened jsut as Syaoran, turing into his namesake lunged at her in the dream (AN: for those of you confused, remember that Syaoran means little wolf).

She hand't, as with most nightmares, awakened in gasping, heart-thudding fear.

What she had felt was simple pain.

For a moment, as she sat there at her quiet desk remembering the details of the drea, Sakura was tempted to just run.

But even as the urge occurred, her mind was listing all the reason why she couldn't.

Having the logical smarts and a strong sense of responsibility definetely had its drawbacks.

Sighing, Sakura double-checked the computer to make sure it was loading properly and then reached for the thick cardboard tube leaning against her desk. From this, she withdrew a set of blueprints for the museum, which she spread out atop her desk.

The edges kept trying to roll up, so she used an amiable Kero feasting on his new toyto weight one corner, a thick manual on the workings of the laster security system to weight another, then propped her telephone and coffee mug on the remaining two corners.

It helped to have something her mind could focus on, and since she had rashly promised Li she would have the computerized security system on line in record time, she had her work cut out for her. After studying the first floor plans for some time, she got out a note pad from her desk drawer and a handful of pens from another. Her favorite bright pink highlighter pen was in the breast pocket in her flannel shirt, and she used that to makr specific points directly on the blueprints.

From schematics to technical wirings to architectural brilliance, Sakura set to work doing what she did best.

She had made sure Kevin be busy guarding over her office so that there was no interruption in the day. That included everyone. Especially Li.

"Yarr?" Kero meowed after a while.

But Sakura continued her work, emersing herself into something. Anything to get rid of the feelings that had been evoked last night.

Once or twice Tomoyo peeked in with the occassional chit chat. "Listen, if you don't get a better offer, I know a great cafe just around the corner where we could have lunch or a break from this crummy room. Interested?"

"Sure," Sakura said, adding blandly, "if I don't get a better offer."

"Well, give me a call if you do; I'll be in my office the rest of the afternoon."

"Okay."

For a few minutes after Tomoyo was gone, Sakura remained at her desk looking somewaht blindly down at the blueprints. Tomoyo, she thought, would make a first-class friend. She was talkative, yes, but honest and without an ounce of malice.

But she was also unusually perceptive, highly observant, and very, very smart-and that was why Sakura couldn't drop her guard with the other woman.

Not now at least.

And depending on how things turned out, maybe not ever.

That thought was a reminder of her responsibilities, and a glance at her watch confirmed the time.

Sakura rose from the desk and went to shut the door firmly again. She had already discovered that this room, like most mreat to house sensitive electronic equipement, was speacially insulated and virtually soundproofed, so she had no qualms about using the phone. Especially since she had done some quick rewiring on day one with an unsed state of the art device to ensure that no one could pick up another phone in teh building and eaves drop on the line she was using.

She made herself comfortable in her chair, mentally organizing her thoughts, and picked up the receiver. She punched the number from memory, and her call automatically answered on the first ring.

"Yeah?"

"It's me. I've spent the morning going over the blueprints. For a big building with too many doors, this place is pretty tight."

"Can you handle the security system?" he asked without pause.

"Of course. I already told you that."

"Alright, don't get your pants up; I just had to be sure. Your brother has been in and out of my office for quite a while now." He sighed, about half way amused. Then his rather cool voice turned businesslike again.

Buisinesslike and definitely critical. "I'm not so sure you should have told Li about the phone patch. Not this early, anyways. He was already suspicious of Haste Security; this is not going to help our...**situation**."

Sakura kept her voice calm. "I'm sure I was able to use something to deflict his suspicions away from security precautions."

"What did you use?"

"I pointed him at Teresa Lowing."

There was a long silence following, and then his voice came over the line very softly. "You did...what?"

"You heard me."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me this last night?"

Gently, she said, "Because I didn't see the need to. And since I'm the one in the hot seat-its my call."

Another long silence, and when he spoke it was obvious he was holding on to a formidable temper. "I see. Then you don't mind telling me-"

A bang on the other side of the call startled both of them from the conversation.

"Welsh, that better not be my sister on the other line." Both of them sighed in frustration, Sakura recognizing exactly who the barger in their call to be.

"IF that is exactly who I think it is lets continue this call later tonight."

"Thank you mother, I will talk to you later tonight."

Sakura swallowed a giggle, knowing what Touya wanted from Welsh at that moment. Too bad the plan was already in motion and nothing he said could stop it for where it was headed.

Afterall, even she couldn't see an escape.

x x x x x x x

Tomoyo sometimes walked to and from work since she lived within walking distance from the museusm; it was a relatively safe neighborhood, the street was quiet and well-lit at night, and she liked to think the exercise did her good.

Plus, if anything it gave her time and preace to think about things.

Or rather, away from things.

Still, she hadn't survived six years on her own without learning to to take chances: she habitually carried both an earsplittling police whistle-on her kye ring-and a purse sized can of pepper spray.

On this Monday night as she walked along briskly, she kept one hand in her purse and the other holding the whistle ready. The precautions were routine; she flet neither nervous nor threatened by her surroundings. Her mind was occupied with speculations about the thieves still at large.

One in particular.

Quite suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks, all her senses warning her.

That uneasy feeling, the building awareness of not being alone, of being watched. He was here. The side walk leading to her condominium's front entrance was just a few yards away; on her right was a patch of shadows at the corner of the building where a grouping of several trees provided elegant landscaping.

Tomoyo turned slowly, searching the shadows.

And low and behold, not too soon a peice of the darkness moved, stepping toward her but remaining curiously insubstantial.

Without thinking about it, she left the sidewalk and crossed the corner of the lawn towards him.

As she neared and her eyves adjusted to the dimness, she saw that he was once again wearing a ski mask that was rolled up from the bottom to reveal the lower protion of his face. "Evening, dearest Tomoyo."

He had quite a jaw, she noted. Probably stubborn as hell. And he was smiling that same damning smile.

One more time, Tomoyo reminded herself of an undoubted unquestionable truth. The was a _thief_ for Mytho's sake! She really needed to remember that.

Reaching him, she said somewhat fiercely than intended, "I have a can of pepper spray in my hand, and I'm not afraid to use it."

Lupin lifted both his hands-ungloved-in a placating gesture and chuckled. "Believe me, Tomoyo, I have no doubt of that. The last thing I have any intention of doing is to rouse your quite impressive temper." His voice was the one she remembered so vividly-light, insouciant , and somewhat mocking.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

His eyes shown with amusement, "Just stopped by to say hello, love."

"Oh, funny."

"On the contrary, I'm being quite serious."

"Then I'll go get my skates, shall I? Hell must have frozen over."

He laughed.

Not very amused herself, Tomoyo said, "Just in case you're still planning to rob the exhibit, I thought I'd warn you that we'll have an even better security program than originally planned." Even as the words left her mouth in a fury, she wondered why on earth she was throwing the gauntlet down before him.

Stupid. So Stupid! What was _wrong_ with her?

"So should I scratch the Troy collection off my list of to do then, is that the idea?"

"If you value that hide of yours-and I hear you do."

"As a matter of fact, love, I do."

"Then leave. Get the hell out of Tokyo, Lupin."

"Now, we both know you don't really want me to do that. Do you, Tomoyo?"

She should have backed away when he took a step toward her.

Or blown her whistle.

Or removed the pepper spray from her purse and aimed it at him.

However, to her later fury, she didn none of those things.

What she did do was baffling even to herself.

Lifting her face in the most natural way and melting into his arms as if she belonged there, it didn't take long before Tomoyo felt his arms holding her against him.

She saw his eyes gleam down at her with silver fire even the darkness couldn't diminish. And then his mouth closed over hers sealing her ultimate doom.

It was a peculiarly teasing kiss, without force, yet there was an underlying desire he didn't even try to hide.

She was barely conscious of letting go of the pepper spray so she could put her arms around hi lean waist, and she only dimly heard the jingle of the keys still dandling from the fingers of her other hand.

All she was really aware of was the hard heat of his body against hers and the seduction of that kiss.

Tomoyo felt ridiculously dazed when he raised his head, and could only stare up at his shadowy, half masked face in silence.

Her heart was pounding and her breathing was unsteady, and she couldn't think at all.

Lupin gently removed her arms from his waist and then stepped back. releasing her completely.

If he was feeling some effect from the embrace, it wasn't at all obvious; when he spoke, his voice sounded, if anything, amused. "Don't forget me, Tomoyo."

It sounded like a rather final goodbye, and that impression intensified when he faded back into the shadows. Before she could regain command of her voice or her wits, he was gone.

Just as she had that night in the museum, Tomoyo felt bereft, as acutely conscious of his absence as she had been of his presence. She wanted to call out his name, and it cost her a severe struggle not to.

Dammit, she didn't even know his _name_ !

All she knew was the infamous psudynom of a conniving theif.

Standing alone in the darkenss, Tomoyo spent a good 3 minutes cussing herself silently, furious and somewhat chagrined at how easily-how maddeningly easily-he had managed to fascinate her mind and affect her body.

It was typically chilly Tokyo night, but she felt hot, and told herself firmly it was sheer embarrassment.

Tomoyo lifted a hand to tup at the high collar of her sweater, and then froze.

Her favorite piece of jewelry, and the only piece of real value she owned, was a amethyst pendant she wore suspended on a fine silver chain. With a sting of guilt, she was remembered that it was an anniversary gift from her husband, a piece that was ment to be casual or dressy depending on what she was wearing.

Tonight, it had been casual.

And tonight...it was gone.

Tomoyo let out a sound that couldn't have been heard more than five feet away.

Lupin, if he'd been privileged to hear it, would have had no difficulty interpreting it. And the quite lively sense of self-preservation that had kept him alive and at large for the past few years would have started warning bells jangling.

If he really hadn't intended to rouse Tomoyo's considerable temper, he had failed wonderfully.

**x x x x x x x**

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**Black Licorice Addict: **Sad day. Please tell me Tomoyo isn't cheating on Eriol...cuz that would be no bueno. Otherwise, I still think Lupin is Touya.

**AN: **I promise to both disappoint and entice my readers when it comes to Lupin's identity :)

**Fallen from the sky: **hello, i havent read this chapter its been in my inbox for like ever and im finally deciding to read all those updated fics in my inbox but you havent even finished it! please i will re-read this its been a while so i might of forgotten but once i start reading ill fall in love cause i favorited this story and put it on story alert for a reason! so please update and finish this story as soon as you can! please and thank you

**AN: **I beta university papers now and really forgot about the fun in this story. Thriller or no, I will try update the next few chapters as the story slowly unfolds. Thank you for your support!

**: **Is... Tomoyo... by chance... falling for another man?

**AN: **Well, with the last scene, I may be making the story a little more complex then it should.

**freedec: **Lupin's back again...I'm over the moon now...! Tomoyo is in deep shit now...ha ha... Loved the punch line where the 'person' on the phone told Lupin he'd believe him when he could see his darn face... Great chapter by the way...Update...!

**AN:** It is a pleasure to read your reviews once again, freedec And yes, Tomoyo is in "deep shit now".


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